Dearka & Miriallia Book II
by An1391
Summary: Dearka & Miriallia continue their journey to become a family with many obstacles along the way.
1. Time Flies

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 1**

Time Flies

Ezalia slowly made her way up the walk to the Elsman mansion. This wasn't the sort of thing she would normally waste her time with, but Yzak had specifically asked her to help him with this important task. For almost three weeks she sat back and watched Tad Elsman's every move and made sure her contacts kept her informed on the situation within the household. Now seemed like a perfect time as any to finally confront Tad herself and see what she could dig up on Annabella's whereabouts.

Yzak had told her that both Dearka and the mother of this child were now safe and sound on the Voltaire. Yzak had asked if she would be the one to bring Annabella back to Dearka, knowing she would have more pull than any of them would with the Elsmans' on the matter. Unfortunately for all of them, she needed to enlist the help of someone Dearka didn't want to see or hear from again.

As she reached the door, she took a deep breath and sighed before pressing the buzzer. And as expected, Gerald answered the door with his usual monotonous tone.

"Councilwoman Joule, I apologize, I did not know we were expecting you," the man said at the door.

"You weren't expecting me. Is either Councilman or Mrs. Elsman home at the moment?" she inquired forcefully in her own predictable ruthless tone.

Of course she knew that both were currently within the mansion from all her contacts, but she needed to make it seem as though she had no idea and was just interested in seeing them. She was as much of a manipulator as Patrick Zala was. This was the reason he had trusted her before his death over two years prior.

"Of course Madam, I shall announce your arrival," the man said waving his arm by his side for her to enter the premises.

"Thank you," she said shortly entering as instructed.

"Please, have a seat and I shall have Flora bring you some refreshments," he instructed leading her into the living room.

As the butler left the room, Ezalia sighed in relief.

_"Part one was successful. I'm in the mansion at least. Now I just have to get Tad to give Annabella's whereabouts up somehow," _she thought with the stress building.

On The Voltaire…

Dearka sat in his room on another day of probation from Yzak. He was thoroughly annoyed with him, but couldn't really blame him. It wasn't like he and Ian had left him much choice. The only thing was, Miriallia was still not with him. The loss of her memory and new attachment to Ian had left Yzak no other option but to assign her quarters over on the Rousseau. She had thrown such a fit when they landed on the Voltaire that even Dearka didn't argue with her demands. The last thing he wanted was to upset her in her current condition.

Once again his rebellious side took over and he decided to wander out of his quarters. He knew he would never get away with slipping by to see Miriallia on the Rousseau so he decided to just walk around the ship and collect his thoughts. Sitting in his room wasn't doing him much good and he was bored out of his mind.

_"I just wish Yzak would let me see her again. I know I could make her remember everything if I was there with her,"_ Dearka thought as he overrode the code to his room lock.

Yzak was sure to be upset when he notices Dearka wandering freely, but at this moment, Dearka just didn't care. He missed his daughter and Miriallia so much it was killing him. It had felt worse than when he said good-bye to her so many years ago. Dearka continued to walk until he heard someone calling his name.

"Dearka Elsman, what do you think you're doing out of your quarters," the shrieking voice spoke up.

Dearka turned and gave one of his famous grins. It never did bother him to be caught in the act; instead it gave him a rush.

"What's it to you?" he asked sarcastically.

The young woman stared at him in confusion. She couldn't stand it when he acted as though he didn't have a care in the world. All she could do was place her hands on her hips and huff at him in annoyance.

"Fine, I'm going back. I'm not interested in listening to your nagging anyway," he said with a hint of aggravation.

For a moment she paused when she saw him turn with such nonchalance. It was as though he really didn't care about anything anymore. Within seconds she realized what was really bothering him.

"She's fine over there if that's what you were heading to find out. She's even seeing the doctor on the Rousseau to slowly purge the drugs the EAF was feeding her. He said she may soon even start regaining some of her memory," Shiho said with empathy about his situation.

"What makes you think that's why I left my room?" he asked without turning his head to look at her.

"I just thought in case that is what you were doing, I would save you the time and trouble you'll get in with Yzak if you are caught wandering around by him right now," Shiho replied.

"Well thanks for the info, but I was really just going a little stir crazy. That's all," he answered rudely and then headed back to his quarters.

"You don't have to be so obnoxious. I was just trying to help," Shiho yelled back at his retreating form.

Dearka didn't turn even after she had yelled at him. He quietly walked toward his room and contemplated how he was going to get close to Miriallia again. Especially now that Ian had been the one privileged enough to spend time with her after her rescue and not him.

_"Don't think you've won Ian. She is the mother of my children and she belongs with me,"_ Dearka thought with his eyes glazing over with fiery anger.

He realized that Ian still had no idea about Miriallia's condition. Or at least as far as he knew, Ian didn't know yet. Although, even if Miriallia told Ian about her condition, she wouldn't remember that Dearka was the father of the baby she was carrying.

When they left the Archangel, Miriallia couldn't remember the crew or even Kira. Part of Dearka felt slightly better when she didn't recognize one of her oldest friends. It no longer made him feel as bad that she couldn't remember him.

Kira had tried to explain to her what her life had been like and even brought up Tolle again. Not something Dearka really felt like remembering himself, but he knew it was necessary to mention every important detail in her life. The only thing Dearka asked Kira not to mention was anything dealing with him. He wanted to be the one to slowly fill her in on their relationship.

Dearka couldn't wait until he had his chance to speak with her again. Once they had arrived back on the Voltaire both he and Ian had basically been smacked down by Yzak and he didn't have a chance to even speak with Miriallia due to the fit she threw.

It was killing him that she felt more comfortable around Ian than him, especially since they had a daughter together from the first war. A bond like that had to spark some type of memory that would leave Ian without a chance to stand in his way with her, but it hadn't. She looked upon him with such unfamiliarity.

Unfortunately for him, he had to wait until the restrictions were removed before he could see how much of the conversation she had with Kira before they had left sank in. Or what she may have even remembered since they returned with the help of the doctor on the Rousseau.

He also couldn't help wondering how the baby was doing. Yzak had mentioned during a visit that the doctor knew not to mention anything to anyone else about her condition and that included Shiho and Ian. And when Yzak heard any word on how she was doing, he would fill Dearka in. But it still bothered him that he wasn't near her.

Then there was the situation with his first-born. He hadn't even thought what his family might do with Annabella after he arrived back. But again, Yzak told him not to worry so much. He had everything being taken care of.

"For once, just trust me Dearka. I have it all worked out. Just stay in your quarters and serve the time you forced me to give you," Yzak had said calmly a few weeks back.

Still, it had been three weeks and Dearka heard nothing but reassuring comments from Yzak that things were going well.

_"At this point, I would prefer to just break the doors down and shake the information out of my parents to get her back. It would be quicker than whatever he's been working on,"_ Dearka thought as he re-entered his room.

**On The Rousseau...**

Miriallia sat patiently in her room until her next appointment with the doctor. She didn't feel very comfortable on a ZAFT ship after what she had tried to do. But she was beginning to feel as though she was drawn to the ship for one reason or another.

As time ticked away, she closed her eyes and thought about the few memories that had returned to her. She could feel the warmth of someone's arms holding her close, but wasn't able to see his face. She knew whomever it was that made her feel that way had to be the same man that she had conceived this child with.

She was still trying to digest all of the things she had been told when she was on the Archangel. The young man Kira, whom she didn't remember, had told her so much about who she was. Miriallia wasn't sure if it was a trick or if it was something believable. She did however hear his voice in her head, even that time on the battlefield calling out his name and felt as though there was a connection between them.

"Aaahhh! Everything is such a blur. It's all jumbled up in my head and I can't make sense out of anything," she cried out to herself in frustration.

One part of her was saying to believe what she had been told and another part was still very wary of what people were trying to fill her head with. All she knew is that she was having dreams about someone with only a silhouette and Ian was the only person she could recognize on sight.

Before long the buzzer to her quarters rang loud and she called out for the person to enter.

"You ready?" the harsh voice asked.

"Yes," she replied in a shy tone and followed obediently.

She walked down the hallway and sighed as she passed the door of the familiar man.

"What's the matter with you?" the same growling voice asked.

"I was wondering if I would be able to visit with him today? I know he is on restriction, but I've been really lonely the past two days," she replied cautiously.

"Fine, if that's what you really want," he replied.

Miriallia kept her head low to the ground. She was a bit intimidated that the Commander himself made his way to the ship every few days to escort her to her appointments. Also, she was feeling so lonely when she was not allowed to see Ian due to the restrictions.

The Commander made exceptions for her when she asked, but she made a point to only ask when she was really lonely as not to abuse the generosity he was showing to her, a former enemy.

They entered the medical wing and Yzak stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at the woman causing so much chaos on his two ships and huffed in aggravation.

"Well, there you go. Just hurry up and I'll escort you to Lieutenant Randall's room afterward," Yzak said shortly.

"Um, yes. I will. Thank you," Miriallia said with the hint of fear still dancing on her voice.

She walked in and saw the doctor sitting at his desk. She entered further into the room and cleared her throat slightly. With the slight sound she made, he looked up from his papers to see her standing there.

"Oh, hello Miriallia. I'm so sorry, I didn't even hear the door open," he apologized standing from his seat.

"That's okay. I'm here for my checkup," she replied following his gesture for her to sit on the reclined chair.

"Yes, well, let's see how everything is going, shall we?" he answered as she lay down on the reclined chair.

She felt him pressing on her womb gently using his hands to measure where her uterus was in order to verify the baby was the size it should be from the ultrasound they had done three weeks prior. Everything had looked fine and made both the doctor and Miriallia quite relieved.

Because he took such care of her unborn child, she felt at ease with the treatments she was receiving from him. Much more than she did with the EAF. She trusted the doctor and looked forward to her visits.

"So how have you been feeling lately?" he asked as he quickly gave her a shot of medicine intended to counterattack the drugs she had been fed by the EAF.

"Okay I guess," she replied wincing slightly.

"Anymore of those dreams you mentioned?" he asked.

"I still can't make out any faces, but I hear a lot of different voices in my head. It's actually a little frightening," she answered honestly.

"Well, that will happen as your mind opens back up to you more. You may even be shocked if you hear a familiar voice and see their face before the memories completely unlock. I just want to warn you before it happens so that you are aware of it," the doctor replied.

"Thank you, but I can't imagine there is anyone up here that I will recognize again from the voices I'm hearing in my dreams. I was told most of my friends are actually on the Archangel and none of them would be up here. Most of the dreams revolve around battle operations," she answered as she waited for the doctor to finish his examination.

"Well, just take it easy please. I don't want you overdoing it right now. You may be remembering events that happened in the prior war. I hear you were the CIC on the Archangel back then," he stated and then nodded that he was done.

"I will. Thank you again for everything," she replied hopping down gently.

"I'll see you in a week this time. The dose I was able to give you today will last about that long to purge some more of the drug dosage in your system," he replied as she walked towards the door.

"Thank you. I'll let the Commander know," she answered heading out the door.

Yzak waited as impatient as always leaning again the wall and tapping his foot with his arms crossed over one another. When she finally exited, he huffed in agitation.

"It's about time," he stated and started to walk down the hall.

She scurried to catch up to him feeling like a hindrance.

"May I ask you a question?" she inquired shyly.

"You just did," he replied with a grunt.

"I..." she stuttered in confusion.

"What do you want to know?" he sighed remembering he had promised Dearka he wouldn't be too cruel to her.

"Um," she started now unsure if she should continue.

"Well, spit it out already. I don't have all day," he said without even looking back at her.

"Okay, well, why are you going to all this trouble to escort me to the doctors and back to my room or Ian's room?" she asked curiously.

"Because, I promised someone I would look out for you. Believe me, this is the last thing I want to be doing, but he's the only real friend I have," Yzak said sincerely.

_"Promised someone he would look out for me?"_ she thought, her curiosity rising.

"That reminds me, when is your next appointment?" he asked as they approached Ian's room.

She quickly snapped out of her contemplation of his words and answered him quickly.

"I'm sorry. It's a week from today. I meant to tell you as soon as I exited," she answered.

"And you remember our deal if you are going to spend time with Lieutenant Randall?" he asked as they stood outside the door.

"Yes, I will not mention anything to Ian about my condition or treatment until you authorize it," she replied with respect to his position.

"Good. I will have Reilly come for you in a few hours to escort you back to your room. I won't be able to make it back here today," Yzak stated as he buzzed Ian's door and then typed the override code.

Ian turned his head from the book he was reading and smiled when he saw Miriallia's face as the door swished open. He was so glad to see her again. It had been a couple of days since he had any company and in another two days, his suspension would be over. That would allow him all the time in the world with Miriallia. But that would also give Dearka access to her as well.

He sat up and frowned when he saw Yzak standing behind her. He would rather not see Dearka's best friend and his Commander from hell at the moment. But he knew he wasn't going to get his wish.

"I will send Reilly to pick Miss Haw up in a few hours. I expect you will conduct yourself as a proper ZAFT soldier until then," Yzak threatened.

Ian stood from the bed and saluted his Commander with respect, the entire time thinking about all the horrible things he'd like to do to him.

"Yes Sir," he replied.

As soon as the formalities were over, Yzak turned to leave as Miriallia stepped further into the room. The door quickly swished closed again allowing both Miriallia and Ian to release a sigh of relief.


	2. Resolutions

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 2 **

Resolutions

**On The Voltaire...**

Dearka sat at his desk flipping through meaningless papers and searching for something to keep him occupied.

"Two days left," he said softly to himself.

The time continued to tick slowly. It hadn't even been that long since Shiho had caught him out of his quarters and slightly nagged him back to his room. He just couldn't sit still knowing Miriallia was so close to him, yet still so far away.

_"Then there's Belle. I don't even know what happened to my little girl,"_ he thought sighing sadly.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad may have happened or that his father had kept true to his threat about taking care of her.

_"Would he really just give her away to someone? I mean, she is still an Elsman and I can't imagine he would really want to give one of his own up," _Dearka thought trying to re-evaluate the situation.

His room felt so cold and uninviting without the small pitter-patter of her little feet or the sweet soft sound of her voice. He had grown so attached in the short time he was able to spend with her and now he had to leave it up to Yzak.

_"What kind of a father am I if I keep leaving these important tasks up to Yzak and Shiho? And here I am hiding out in my room while Ian continually has an opportunity to make a move on Miriallia. On top of that, she is having my baby and I couldn't even get her attention on the way back here,"_ his thoughts continued to flow.

Before long he heard the buzzer of his room door and the clicking of the override code and knew it could only be one person. He sat there waiting for his uninvited guest.

As soon as Yzak walked through the door, Dearka sat up straight in his chair and quirked his eyebrows and rolled his eyes at the visitor.

"That's some way to greet your friend," Yzak stated to the look on Dearka's face.

"Friend? Is that what you are right now?" Dearka asked curiously.

Yzak shook his head in annoyance and walked over to Dearka's bed to sit down. As he moved toward the bed, Dearka swung the chair around to stare at his so-called friend.

"Do you want to know how she is doing or not?" Yzak asked as he fell to the bed below and stretched out to get comfortable.

"Depends. Are you going to let me see her soon?" Dearka asked.

Yzak looked up to the ceiling in an attempt to avoid Dearka's glare. It's not like he felt threatened by him, but he really didn't want to start a fight again with him over the suspension.

"You'll see her in a few days. Can't you just wait? I have this all planned out, but you both have to serve your time. It's only fair. And technically speaking, you were the one that stole that information from your commanding officer and then recruited Lieutenant Randall in your endeavors, so I really can't overlook the penalty this time. You don't want it to look like favoritism, do you?" Yzak said with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever," Dearka snipped back spinning in his chair.

Yzak waited a moment for Dearka to let what he just said sink in before he continued. He knew Dearka wanted to know how Miriallia was doing regardless of what he said.

"She had another appointment today," Yzak started trying to gain Dearka's interest.

Dearka pushed the chair again like a little kid and let it spin around a few more times.

"And?" he asked curiously.

"The doctor told me everything was going well. The drugs are starting to wear off safely and your kid is doing okay. I went back to check on her status after I dropped her off somewhere," Yzak answered closing his eyes.

"Good to know. So where is she now?" Dearka asked praying for the answer to not be with Ian.

"I said I had to drop her off somewhere," Yzak said without missing a beat.

"And that would be?" Dearka prodded.

"Did I mention I made a deal with her?" Yzak asked quickly trying to make the situation better for him.

He had avoided telling Dearka anything about his plans for almost his full suspension. But now it was becoming even more difficult to keep it under wraps.

"Yzak," Dearka said with warning and frustration in his voice.

"She's with Ian right now," Yzak said quickly and then rolled over to face the wall away from Dearka.

Dearka cringed when he heard those dreadful words come out of Yzak's mouth. He couldn't believe it. He left it up to Yzak to do his best to keep her away from him and now to find out Yzak had been dropping her off to see Ian infuriated him.

"What is wrong with you? Have you gone completely insane? You said you would take care of everything. Oh, don't worry Dearka leave it to me. She won't get near him at all. I won't let her," Dearka repeated the words his friend had said a few weeks prior.

"Well, I had to change my strategy a little. You do want a chance with her, don't you?" Yzak questioned now turning back to see Dearka's face.

"The thing is, I shouldn't have to have a chance with her. She was with me to begin with," Dearka shouted.

Yzak didn't like when anyone yelled at him, least of all Dearka. After all, he was going out of his way to help him get his Natural girlfriend back.

"Well, sometimes life doesn't go the way we want it to, does it? I figured you didn't want anyone to know she was pregnant until you could see her again. It's still not obvious yet and it won't be in the next two days either. I made a deal with her that she could spend time with Ian while he was on restriction if and only if she promised not to mention anything about her condition to him or anyone else on the ship," Yzak stated the anger in his voice beginning to show.

Dearka's eyes widened in amazement at what was said. He had no idea Yzak had gone to such lengths to keep the news from Ian.

"Look, I just didn't want Ian making any desperate attempts to gain her affection before you had a chance to remind her about her past with you. Not that I agree with you being with a Natural," Yzak said sincerely although making his true feelings on the situation known.

"Thanks Yzak," was all that Dearka could say to him in his moment of almost speechlessness.

"And about your other kid, I'm afraid I don't have the best news for you," Yzak said throwing Dearka back down from his moment of hopefulness.

"Why? What happened?" Dearka asked fearing the worst.

"It seems your parents gave her up for adoption to someone and may not reveal to who. Right now my mother and Cadey are working on locating her," Yzak stated calmly.

"I knew he was going to do something like that. I can't believe he actually went through with it though," Dearka said with the same calmness in his own voice.

Yzak had realized he didn't hear the entire statement, or at least it hadn't sunk in yet.

"WAIT A MINUTE! Did you just say CADEY was working on locating Belle?" Dearka cried out terror lining his voice.

_"There it is, realization hits,"_ Yzak thought sarcastically.

"Yeah well, my mother thought it would help if she met up with her at your place. Apparently the Eternal dropped her off finally at her home due to the danger they might fall in to. So, mother contacted her to see if she would help. Cadey said she would do anything for you, even if the two of you were no longer together. And there you have it, Cadey is helping to get your kid back," Yzak explained.

"Oh please, do you really believe that? Cadey has had an ulterior motive since I met her. There is no way she is just going to help out without wanting something in return. And you and I both know what or who she wants," Dearka stated.

"Well, we don't have much choice. It may make a difference if Cadey is there to find out where the kid was sent. We all figured your parents were more likely to give her back if they knew you two were going to remain together and that Cadey wants her back too," Yzak rationalized the situation for him.

"Belle," Dearka said.

"What?" Yzak asked in confusion.

"You keep calling her the kid again. Her name is Belle and you know better," Dearka reminded him.

"So you're not mad now?" Yzak questioned cautiously.

"Oh, I'm still mad. But I see your point, especially if mom and dad have already gone to such extremes to make her non-existent. The only real way to get her back is if Miriallia and I aren't the only ones to know about her connection to my family," he stated.

**Back On Februarius...**

Ezalia sat in the Elsman mansion calmly sipping the tea Flora had brought her. She still had no idea how to even begin when one or both of them finally arrived. The seconds that passed felt like an eternity to her and she was continually looking at her watch.

_"She should be here soon,"_ Ezalia thought beginning to lose her look of calmness.

As soon as those thoughts entered her head, the French doors opened revealing Tad Elsman. He entered the room with a greeting smile closing the doors behind him.

"It's good to see you Ezalia. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked curiously heading for a chair.

"Actually, I came here as a favor," she replied in all honesty.

As Tad made himself comfortable, Ezalia shifted feeling just the opposite. She just wanted to get this over with and return to her own duties.

"A favor?" Tad questioned.

Ezalia placed her teacup on the table with determination. She might as well come out and say what she had to say. There was no reason to drag out the inevitable any longer.

"I want to know to whom you gave Dearka's daughter to?" she asked forcefully.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Tad replied cool-headed.

Ezalia had a very short-temper and was not in the mood to listen to his cover-up.

"Look, I'm not interested in listening to the clueless act. I know about the little girl and I know what you've done. What I don't know is where you sent her or how you could devastate your own son and soon to be daughter-in-law with such an act," she said her eyes icing over.

Tad sat there in amazement. He had no idea anyone else, other than Dearka and the mother, knew about the little girl. In an instant Tad became very quiet trying to decide on his next move.

"I don't know what stories you have been told, but Dearka isn't a father. For goodness sake, he's only nineteen and I think we would have noticed if Cadey had a child," Tad replied continuing his denial.

"Don't give me that. You know as well as I that you have a granddaughter. Cadey is enthralled with her and had been helping Dearka take care of her since he found out about her. For you to go and rip that bond away from them is outright cruel," Ezalia reprimanded.

"Are you saying Cadey knows?" he asked giving away the masquerade.

"Of course she knows. Your son is engaged to her after all," Ezalia said shortly.

Before Tad could say another word there was a knock on the doors and then they swung open revealing his wife. Tad stood up for a moment and walked over toward her.

"Can this wait until later dear?" he asked trying his best to herd her out of the room.

Without a word, she stepped aside revealing their guest. She didn't even know what to say to him after what she had just been told in the hall moments before. When he caught one glimpse of her, he nodded his head in acknowledgement and walked back to his seat. Ezalia looked behind her with a huge grin on her face.

"Please, Councilman Elsman, give her back," she said as they entered the room.

Tears poured down her soft silky cheeks and her eyes were blood shot. She sat down next to Ezalia on the couch as Mrs. Elsman made her way to her own chair. The two were now in the same spots they had been when Dearka had brought their granddaughter to meet them on that fateful day.

"I don't know what we will do without her. I know you were probably shocked when you found out and so was I, but we became much closer thanks to that little girl. If you keep her from us, you'll destroy him. I'm sure that isn't your intention," Cadey begged.

Luckily for Ezalia, she was able to start the conversation with Tad in enough time for Cadey's little show to commence the way they had planned. She had been waiting in the room for so long that she wasn't sure how much she would be able to get started before Cadey's planned arrival.

"Cadey, I'm a bit confused on what you are talking about. Give who back?" he said innocently to see if Cadey really knew about the little girl.

"You know who I'm talking about. I want my daughter back. I want Belle in my arms again," she cried out.

Mrs. Elsman shook her head feeling the unbearable pain she thought Cadey was going through. Even if she hadn't been the one to give birth to the little girl, she could see it was tearing her up inside to have her taken away.

"Tad, enough is enough, give her back to them," his wife cried out unable to take it anymore.

He turned his head to her in shock. He was so confused by her request after she had made it quite clear how she felt about the situation Dearka had put the family name in not so long ago.

"I..." he started trying to find the words.

"Tad, tell me where she is and I will help get her back for Dearka and Cadey. We can pretend this whole thing never happened. And if you are willing to sit down and speak with your son again, I'm sure the four of you can come up with some way to save face when the knowledge of your granddaughter becomes public," Ezalia said offering a helping hand.

"How long have you known?" Tad asked turning to Cadey.

"Since the first day Dearka found out about her," she replied looking at the ground tears still falling.

"Why didn't he mention it when he brought her here? He made it seem as though the two of your weren't together," Tad asked now wanting his own answers and giving up the facade completely.

"Truthfully I didn't want him coming here at all yet. I wanted to wait until we were married, but we ran into Councilwoman Joule during the dedication ceremony a while back and she said we had to tell you or she would. I still wanted to keep it under wraps for a little longer, but he was sure the two of you would be more upset if he didn't introduce you to her before hand. Especially before someone else told you two. He did promise to keep it from my father until then. He was probably trying to protect the truth so you didn't say anything to my dad before I wanted him to know. If we weren't together in his introduction to her, you would both be more likely to not say anything to my father either," she answered like a good little actress.

"I don't understand how he even found out about her then," Tad mentioned trying to get more of the story from Cadey.

"On an assignment on Earth that Yzak sent him on, I snuck aboard the shuttle to go with him. I know I shouldn't have, but I wanted to be with him. It ended up being fate because he met up with the young woman he had been with on the Archangel during the last war. She had been injured and we were watching a little girl that she had with her. When she came to, she saw Dearka again and told him the truth about the little girl. It also turned out that she really didn't want her so Dearka and I offered to take her back here to PLANT," Cadey said.

"I guess I'm confused now. I can't imagine any mother not wanting her own child. For her to have the little girl for so many years and then just give her to the two of you seems a little strange," Mrs. Elsman piped up regaining her composure.

Cadey and Ezalia sighed at the same time. They had discussed the possibility of this question being raised, but Yzak had given them a way out of it from the things Dearka had technically told him in confidence. If he was ever going to break that trust, now had been the best time. All she had to do now was act it out correctly.

"It's actually more simple than you may think. It turns out that Dearka had made a promise to come back to her. Although, when he arrived back to PLANT after the first war and found out we were engaged by arrangement, he didn't return to her. Instead he stayed here with me. I know it didn't seem like it at the time, but we really did hit it off quite well. I hadn't known anything about her. He never mentioned it to me until I finally met her. But it turns out due to that feeling of betrayal; the young woman was never able to bond with your granddaughter. Her mother had been taking care of her for all those years and the only reason she had her when she was injured was because her parents went out of town and she had been stuck with her," Cadey re-told the story with her dark eyes flashing brightly.

"I see, but I guess I feel that even still she must have some feelings for her daughter. It's just hard to imagine that any mother would do such a thing to a child she gave birth to," she replied.

Ezalia had no other option but to point out the obvious as much as she knew it would hurt her two friends.

"You did, didn't you," she said with malice in her voice.

"I beg your pardon," Tad said angrily coming to the aid of his wife.

"Well, you did have your son beaten into unconsciousness and ripped his daughter from his life. And on top of that, I heard you completely cut him off from his birthright. All he has to his name is what he's earned on his own in the military. So from what I can see, the two of you did the same thing as the mother of his child," Ezalia said coldly.

Cadey was beginning to feel uncomfortable in the room. She hadn't expected Ezalia to have to resort to such measures as questioning the Elsmans' loyalty to their family.

"Please, can we just stick to what we came here for? I just want my little girl back and I want to bring her back to Dearka as soon as possible," Cadey cried out.

"Fine, but I want nothing to do with that little girl. When you and Dearka have children of your own, I will be a wonderful Grandmother. But I refuse to stand by such a ridiculous arrangement," Mrs. Elsman blurted out in malice.

_"She certainly flip-flops a lot,"_ Cadey thought feeling uncomfortable.

Tad was still in shock as well and looked over at his wife. First she wanted him to do everything in his power to make this little girl non-existent, then she begged him to give her back to them and now she is willing to give her back, but wants nothing to do with the girl still.

"Will you take care of this, I need to go lay down. I'm not feeling so well," Mrs. Elsman said standing up from her chair with tears flooding her eyes.

She walked towards the doors and exited the room leaving them open behind her. Ezalia just sat there and waited for Tad to speak up.

"I'll call you when she is ready and you may pick her up. But I too feel the same way and you can tell Dearka that. You should tell your father before you marry if this is what the two of you plan to do so he can prepare to save face for your family as well. You two can show yourselves out," he said sounding defeated and looking at Cadey.

Ezalia and Cadey sat still while he left the room as well. For a moment Cadey didn't know whether she should feel happy or sad. She got Dearka's daughter back, but was sure he would still treat her the same.

_"Damn that woman that brainwashed him. I'll teach her a lesson. There's no way Dearka will be with her. He's going to marry me!"_ she thought before standing to follow Ezalia out of the Elsman mansion.


	3. Reunion

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 3**

Reunion

Two days had past since Dearka and Yzak had their conversation about Annabella. What was even better was that it was also his last day of suspension from the stunt he pulled to save Miriallia from the Earth Forces. All he had to do now was sit patiently and wait for this day to end to regain his freedom.

_"Finally I'll be able to get back to work, find Annabella and see Mir again,"_ he thought relaxing in his chair.

He really missed all the daily tasks he used to think of as annoyances on the Voltaire. He never thought he would feel that way until he wasn't able to participate in those normal military procedures he had been so accustomed to.

**On the Rousseau...**

Miriallia was lying down on her bed waiting for her chance to see Ian again. She had such a good time visiting with him two days prior. She felt comfortable around him and they had talked about their personal views on things for hours. Even when they didn't agree on most issues, they could at least make an argument on why they saw things the way they did without upsetting each other.

"He's so sweet and very handsome. I hope the Commander will let me see him more often when he is no longer on his suspension. I also hope I can tell him about you too," she said softly patting her belly.

Before long, a knock on the door erupted. Miriallia sat up cautiously and waited for the door to open.

"Get dressed," was all the young man said tossing a new dress at her and making her jump from her spot.

_"Why?"_ she thought but never asked.

The look in his glassed over eyes made her grab the clothes and head into the bathroom to change immediately without a word. As she emerged from the room in the peach sundress, he dropped some shoes on the floor. Quickly she shuffled closer and slipped her feet into them with a look of confusion.

"Come on," he said as he walked out of the room.

"Where are we going?" she finally got the nerve to ask.

"You'll see when we get there," he replied harshly.

She continued to follow and looked back as they passed Ian's quarters. What she wouldn't give to be able to run into his room and hide behind him for protection right now. Although, she knew even Ian couldn't save her from his wrath. They silently walked through the halls until she spoke up again.

"I thought you wouldn't be back until my next appointment," she mentioned still following closely.

"Change of plans," was all he said.

She huffed with irritation at his short answer and continued to follow as she had been commanded. The last thing she felt like doing was challenging him when she had finally found someone she could remember from her past.

The two reached the hanger and walked toward a shuttle. As they walked by the mechanics and soldiers in the area, they were saluted. Anyone who had been goofing off had suddenly jumped back to work acting as if they had never stopped.

"Is everything prepared?" Yzak asked the crew.

"Yes sir! You are all set to return to the Voltaire," one responded with a salute.

Yzak turned and gave her a look that shot right through her core giving her the shivers. He had made it known that he didn't like her all that much and the way he acted when he came to get her each time proved it.

"Get in," he ordered.

Miriallia coyly slipped by him and entered the shuttle immediately making her way to a seat. Yzak rolled his eyes and followed her in looking back at the crewmember he had been speaking with.

"We're ready to go," he stated as the crewman saluted and closed the hatch.

Within moments the shuttle took off and headed toward the Voltaire. Yzak had sat down with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"I don't understand why we're going to the Voltaire," Miriallia spoke up again almost choking on her words.

"Do you think you could just sit there quietly and stop asking so many stupid questions?" Yzak asked giving her an attitude.

Miriallia huffed again and waited for the ship to dock while crossing her own arms in front of her. When they came to the final stop, she felt completely nerve wracked. She couldn't even comprehend what was going on. And on top of that, Mr. Personality wasn't being of much help to her.

"Get up," he ordered and headed off the shuttle.

She quickly jumped from her spot again and ran to catch up to him. She didn't want to be left behind since she had been so familiarized with the other ship and not so much on this one.

Her eyes darted back and forth at all the people scurrying around here as well. She was amazed at how many soldiers and mechanics roamed this ship on top of the other one.

_"There are so many lives at stake during a war,"_ she thought as they continued out of the shuttle bay and down the halls.

In a matter of moments, they had reached their destination and Miriallia stood silently behind the man who had dragged her all this way. She waited as he punched in a code and the door swished open. Yzak entered the room and Miriallia shyly followed.

"What do you want?" came another voice.

"Happy Birthday," Yzak said and then turned to leave as soon as Miriallia had made it into the room.

The chair he was sitting in spun around right as Yzak left. The sight in front of him made him fall out of his seat.

"MIRIALLIA!" he cried as he fell ungracefully to the floor.

She had flipped around when Yzak walked out and shut the door between them. Panic had overcome her as she turned back to see whom she had been left with. The person that cried out her name had been the other one with her when she had been rescued from the Earth Forces.

_"It's that guy again,"_ she thought looking at him on the floor.

Dearka pushed himself up from his spot on the ground and stood there staring at her. He didn't even know what to say to her. He was still on suspension and had been told by Yzak that he wouldn't be allowed to see her until it was over. Now here she was standing in front of him and none other than Yzak himself had brought her to him.

"So, did I hear the Commander say Happy Birthday to you?" she asked trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them.

"Uh yeah," Dearka replied feeling like an idiot.

He had waited so long to see her again and then when he finally saved her from the Earth Forces; he backed away to give her space due to her condition. Now he was being given another chance to get through to her with no interruptions from anyone and he didn't know where to begin.

"Well, Happy Birthday I guess," she said softly still standing near the door.

"Thanks. It is now," he said with a smile on his face.

Her eyes narrowed on him as he said that. Those words had made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked with displeasure.

"I mean... Because you're here now," he fumbled with the words.

"You act like you know me. But I don't remember you at all," she replied.

Those words cut Dearka to the quick. He had hoped when he saw her again that even the smallest spark of a memory would return to her now that she had the time to recover.

_"How can it be that we share two children and she can't remember me in the slightest? It doesn't make any sense. Why does she remember Ian?"_ he thought feeling the sadness sweep over him.

"Um, how long do you think I'm going to be stuck here?" she asked looking back at the door with a big red bar across the access panel much like hers looked.

The red bar across the top of the panel indicated that they had been locked in the room and only one person had the ability and authority to override the code. But the truth was Dearka had the ability to override it too, just not the authority.

"You feel stuck, huh?" he asked moving over to the bed and sitting down feeling even more depressed.

Miriallia turned around and stared at the young man in front of her. He was very handsome in his own right. Her thoughts had quickly turned from Ian to the man in front of her. His blonde wavy hair made her fingers ache. She wished she could just walk right over to him and run them through it and she didn't know where the urge came from. His violet eyes shined like glistening amethysts and his tanned skin made all his features stand out making her fall into a small daze.

"Miriallia?" he asked softly, realizing she had been staring at him.

Quickly she shook her head to remove herself from the daydream and walked over to the chair he had originally fallen from. As she sat down, he watched her every move. The way the dress she wore swished around her knees and how her hand involuntarily brushed over the front of the dress to smooth it out as she sat.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so rude. I just don't know why the Commander brought me here. I really don't appreciate that he dropped me off as if I was some kind of birthday present to you," she answered honestly.

"I see your point. But the honest truth is that I think you are my present," he replied earning a small glare from her.

He laughed softly to himself when she did that as a smirk filled his features. Her nose wrinkled up the same way it always did when she was irritated with him. It was even the small things he had missed seeing when he was with her.

"I'm not an object to be given away as a present and stop laughing at me with that stupid smirk!" she yelled at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just that we were close at one time and I think he was trying to give us a chance to talk. You know, see if you could remember something about when I was in your life. That's all I've wanted since you came back. So the opportunity to talk with you is my present, not you as a person per se," he said staring at her fondly.

She quickly calm down and look deeper into his eyes trying to assess if he was telling the truth. It seemed that he was sincere in his confession to her.

"Oh," she said feeling embarrassed at her outburst.

They sat in silence for a moment, as Dearka tried to think of what he should say next. What he really wanted to do was run over to her and sweep her up into his arms, but knew she would never allow that in her state.

"So we were close?" she asked prying some information from him.

"Yeah, we were," he replied with renewed enthusiasm.

She sat contemplating what he said and looked upon him with her soft aqua blue eyes.

"I don't even remember your name though," she stated.

"Dearka. Dearka Elsman," he answered without hesitation.

"Dearka..." she repeated quietly to herself.

Immediately the image of metal flashed into her head. Gray and cold images and sensations rushed through her.

"Bars," she said.

"Bars?" Dearka asked.

"I remember metal bars," she replied from the quick flash.

Dearka realized what she had remembered with just his name. Their time on the Archangel held a lot of memories. Although, that was one he would have rather forgotten.

"I was imprisoned on the Archangel when we met. You used to come visit me in the brig," he answered.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why was I imprisoned or why did you visit?" he asked in response.

"Both," she said.

"I was imprisoned because at the time I was with ZAFT and we had been enemies. I was held captive after I lost control of my mobile suit. As for why you visited me, I don't really know. Maybe it started out of pity," he said trying to keep it as close to how she may have felt as he could.

"But we became friends," she prodded.

"Yeah. When I was set free, you were the reason I stayed. I wanted to protect you and I couldn't fight for ZAFT in its' current state. After meeting you, I realized that not all Naturals were evil," he answered.

There was another moment of silence between them as she looked down to the floor. When she looked up she noticed his eyes had never left her figure. She stood up from the chair and walked over to him on the bed. She was now standing in front of him and smiled down at his handsome face.

As she was about to open her mouth to say something, the room shook violently throwing her backwards toward the ground. Dearka dove off the bed and grabbed her, clutching her to him as he took the impact between her and the floor. Alarms started blaring and the entire room went dark for a moment before the red flashes started and the emergency generators took over to light the room.

"Are you okay?" he cried out trying to get her attention.

"I think so. I don't know," she replied in a panic.

"The baby, is the baby all right?" he asked not realizing what he said.

She pushed off of him in shock and sat on the floor as the ship shook again. The room panel above the door turned green as an announcement came over the intercom system.

"All pilots to their mobile suits. I repeat, all pilots to their mobile suits," the voice ordered.

Dearka knew he was being let out for whatever was going on outside. They had just been hit by something and that meant they were in a battle. He looked at Miriallia and paused from following the orders that had been sent.

"How did you know about the baby?" she asked with terror in her voice.

Yzak had told her not to tell anyone. She couldn't fathom how he even knew about her condition.

"I…" he started not knowing what to say to her.

"Answer me!" she screamed wanting the truth.

Another explosion rocked the ship and she fell forward into his arms. The feeling of being held by him flooded her head with more sensations. Her own hands grabbed onto his upper arms and her eyes came into focus on his features.

"In my dreams… It was you in my dreams," she said in shock.

Dearka had no clue what she had been talking about as the announcement for mobile suit pilots to go into battle shouted through the system again.

"I have to go. Stay here, get on the bed and hold on tight. I'll be back soon. We can talk more then," he said pushing her from his embrace.

"Wait! Is it you? Are you my baby's father?" she cried as he headed for the door.

He turned to look at her and instead of the cruel glares she was used to receiving from the Commander, she saw a soft gentle smile on this young man's face.

"Promise me you'll stay here," he said.

"Please, answer me first and then I'll agree," she said desperately.

"Yeah, that's me. And we have a little girl together too. So stay here and I'll answer any other questions you have when I return," he replied as the door shut between them.

"We have a daughter together too? Why don't I remember something like that?" Miriallia questioned to herself quietly.

The ship rocked again and she grabbed onto the sheets of the bed until it stopped. Quickly she jumped on the bed and pulled out the security buckle and strapped herself in. Her head gently hit the pillow and she held onto the bar attached to the wall the bed was against closing her eyes as more explosions moved the ship.

More flashes entered her mind as she was infused with the scent of his cologne from his pillow and sheets. The only thing that wouldn't come back into her memory was the last thing he said to her. She couldn't remember they also had a daughter already. She kept her eyes closed and tried her best to sort out all the images that had just penetrated the wall that had been between her past and present.


	4. Coming Together

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 4**

Coming Together

The hour passed by slowly for Miriallia as the loud crashes made her begin to feel nervous. The words the young man named Dearka had said continued to run through her head. She didn't know what to think about it all.

_"Is it true? Is he the father of my baby? And do we really have a daughter together already?"_ she thought to herself as she buried her head into his pillow more.

The lights were still flashing red and the alarms were blaring. Her head was beginning to ache. She wasn't sure if it was because of the ruckus or because of the overwhelming amount of information she was given all at once.

_"It can't be true. I don't even remember having a daughter. But why would he lie about something like that? And why did I remember feeling his arms around me when I fell into him during the attack?"_ she thought again.

On one hand it made sense to her, but on the other hand, she couldn't understand how she hadn't recognized him before. She had been with him on the trip into space and he never mentioned a thing to her. Why wait all this time to say something so important? She had focused all her attention on Ian on the way back due to her nervousness and memory of only him that she had barely even looked at the young blonde man.

"I just don't know. He's handsome and seems sweet, but I still can't remember him. All I remember is that scent. But anyone could wear that cologne," she tried to rationalize in her head.

More footsteps raced down the hall startling her out of her thoughts. Not long ago, she had been one of the people running down the hall to get ready for battle. But now, she was grateful that she could cower in the corner and hopefully remain safe for her baby's sake.

_"But then again, maybe what he said was true. I did feel attracted to him when I looked into his eyes. And he does seem to know a lot about the baby and me. But how can I even be sure that this isn't some kind of trick. For all I know, I was safer with the Earth Forces. This could be some sort of mission for ZAFT in an attempt to gain intelligence on the Earth Forces,"_ she thought.

She buried her head deeper into the pillow trying to block out the sounds of the obnoxious alarms above her and started to drift off. All the conspiracy's and conclusions she had come up with had exhausted her and now she just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. She was so tired that little by little the sounds of the blaring alarms faded into the background of her mind as she fell into a deep sleep.

**A few hours later…**

Dearka made his way toward his room now that things were calming down. He was tired from the battle and just wanted to get back to speak with Miriallia again. He hadn't meant to slip up with his declaration but he had been so worried when she had fallen, regardless that he caught her, that she or the baby may have been hurt.

_"How was I supposed to know? It's not like I was with her the first time through it and again she's close to halfway there and I haven't been with her at all,"_ he thought sluggishly walking down the halls with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Dearka, do you hear a word I'm saying to you?" a voice screamed from behind him.

Dearka snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Yzak trying to catch up to him. He had a feeling he knew what he was being followed for.

"I'm going back to my room, so you don't have to nag me. I know I was only let out due to special circumstances," Dearka stated hoping to stop Yzak from lecturing him.

Yzak rolled his eyes and moved up next to him.

"If you were actually listening to me and not daydreaming about that Natural, you would know I didn't even mention anything about your suspension," Yzak scolded.

Dearka stopped in his tracks and gave him an 'I'm listening' look.

"I said that you need to go to the shuttle bay and wait there. Now that everything is safe, I have ordered the shuttle that has your daughter on it to launch for the Voltaire," Yzak stated before pushing off and continuing down the hall.

"What?" Dearka yelled after him in confusion.

"You heard me. I have things I have to attend to. You just go and get your daughter and take her back to your room. And don't forget you owe me another one Dearka!" Yzak reminded him.

Dearka watched him as he floated further away before turning to head back toward the shuttle bay.

_"I wish he had mentioned that before I left the damn shuttle bay,"_ Dearka thought as he moved back the way he came from in a more quickened pace.

He made his way toward the shuttle bay again longing to get his daughter back in his arms as much as he longed to be back in Miriallia's arms. As he continued down the hall, what he had to deal with hit him. Or more like, who he had to deal with, hit him.

_"Damn, I wouldn't doubt Cadey is the one bringing Belle back too. The last thing I need is her hanging around right now. Until I can get Miriallia to remember about Belle and I, she'll just get in the way,"_ Dearka thought irritably finally entering the bay.

He leaned against the wall with a scowl on his face. Just moments before, he had been so happy that he would soon have his daughter back and now a dark cloud was lingering over the reunion. Dearka looked around the area as he patiently waited for the shuttle to arrive.

The bay was bustling with activity from the previous battle. Mechanics and pilots were still scurrying about trying to get machines up and running again in case of another attack. All sorts of colorful phrases were being tossed back and forth between the technicians. The cold steel wall Dearka was leaning on was refreshing from the heat that tore through the air as some of the propulsion systems for the ZAKUs were being worked on.

The scent of oil and grinding metal filled the air with noises that reminded many of an automotive body shop. In what seemed like no time at all, Dearka heard the announcement that a shuttle was about to land. As the area prepared for the arrival, Dearka pushed himself off the wall with his right foot with his arms remaining crossed in front of him.

Moments later, the door to the shuttle opened and a soldier was helping the person he feared most of seeing again with her bags and his daughter. Dearka moved toward the shuttle cautiously trying to figure out what he should say to her. She sensed his presence before he had even approached her and she looked up to see the man she had fallen in love with walking toward her.

A small blush began to form on her face while Belle remained peacefully sleeping in her arms. Cadey continued down the stairs of the shuttle and began heading in Dearka's direction. The two finally met face to face once again. It had been quite a while since their last encounter.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought her myself. I wanted to make sure she made it back to you safely," Cadey said with a hint of innocence in her voice.

If Dearka hadn't known better, he would have fallen for the inflection she cast in her voice making her seem as though she wasn't up to something. Although, in an attempt to not evoke a fight, he let it slip by without calling her on it.

"Thank you Cadey," Dearka said as he reached out to take the sleeping child from her arms.

He looked down at her peaceful face and smiled to himself. He hoped Miriallia would remember Belle as soon as she saw her. She just had too. Belle was her little girl and even though they had a rocky start, he knew Miriallia never stopped loving her no matter what she said or did.

"So, I heard that you were able to find Belle's mother and she is safe on the Rousseau," Cadey said starting idle chit chat as she followed Dearka down the hall carrying Belle's bag for him.

"Well, she's safe, but she's not on the Rousseau. She's here on the Voltaire," Dearka said already knowing what Cadey had been suggesting.

A look of shock came across Cadey's face. Dearka didn't even have to look back at her to know what she was thinking right then. It actually made him feel good to crush her the way she tried to do to him not too long ago.

"I thought she only remembered Ian and…" she began working on Dearka for some more information.

"You thought wrong. She remembers me too," he lied as he continued down the way.

They were getting closer to his quarters so Dearka decided to stop the little two-step she was trying to have with him by turning around to look at her. He reached out his hand and slipped Belle's bag off Cadey's shoulder lightly brushing her skin. The sensation gave her chills in a pleasant way even though she knew he hadn't meant to do it on purpose.

"Look, I don't know what your plans are now. Thank you for bringing Belle back to Miriallia and I, but I would appreciate it if you kept your distance from us," Dearka said coldly brushing her off.

"Sure, I'll just stay on the Rousseau to spend some time with Ian then. That is, if that doesn't interfere in your life too," she said slightly sarcastically returning his cold shoulder.

"As long as the two of you aren't trying to plot something against Miriallia and me, then I don't care in the least. But if you are and I find out about it, you'll wish you never crossed me. Got it?" Dearka asked his voice reflecting the warning.

Cadey closed her eyes and shook her head at him. As she opened them again and looked at him she huffed in frustration.

"I went through all that trouble to help you out and this is how you are going to treat me. So I made some mistakes in the past, but my intention was to never hurt that little girl and you know it! I'm not wasting my time on you any more Dearka Elsman so you don't have to worry. I'll find someone who really loves me and isn't just settling," she said bitterly turning away from him and heading back down the hall.

Dearka shook his own head and turned to continue to his room. This was his last chance to convince Miriallia she belonged with him or else she would be heading back to the Rousseau calling his bluff to Cadey. Before reaching his door he heard Cadey call from a distance to him.

"If you change your mind, you know where I'll be," she said changing the tune she had just sung moments before.

"I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you. You may turn blue," Dearka called back sarcastically causing the little angel in his arms to stir a bit from the noise.

Softly Dearka rocked her back in to her deep sleep before hitting the code on his room panel. The door swished open and he saw the most beautiful sight before him. Miriallia was sound asleep on his bed with strands of her soft brunette hair falling on her face.

Dearka moved over to the crib in his room and place Belle down gently, dropping her bag on the floor. He set up the system to protect his little girl in case of any sudden shifts of the ship due to unavoidable turbulence or battles as they coasted along. As soon as he was sure she was well protected, he moved over to the bed and brushed the strands of hair from Miriallia's face softly caressing her cheek.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly leaning over to kiss her gently on the lips.

A small smile crept up onto Miriallia's face, as she remained fast asleep. Quietly he began to take off his uniform leaving himself in his boxers and t-shirt and carefully slipped into bed next to Miriallia.

Unconsciously, she moved in closer to him placing her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around him. Dearka slowly moved his right arm over her to hit the button to the lighting system in the room and then held her close to him. He had missed holding her in his arms and this was a moment he wasn't going to pass up.

_"Now I just have to hope she doesn't try to kill me in the morning since she has no memory of me,"_ he thought as he closed his eyes and took in the sweet smell of the ocean breeze shampoo she had been using.

**On the Rousseau…**

Cadey made her way down to Ian's quarters. She had been given permission from Yzak to see him on his last night of probation and she had a few things to discuss with him.

Crewmembers walked down the halls looking her up and down. They all knew she was the daughter of Councilman White, but they were just curious why she was on the ship to begin with. Unlike Yzak and Dearka, she wasn't a soldier and they all knew Dearka wasn't even assigned to the Rousseau.

"Shouldn't she be over on the Voltaire? That is Cadey White, right?" one girl whispered to another walking down the corridor.

"Yeah, that's Dearka Elsman's fiancée. I wonder why she's over here then," the young woman whispered back.

"Maybe she's cheating on him with someone over here," the girl giggled out softly to the other thinking Cadey couldn't hear them.

Cadey moved quickly by them as they stared her up and down. She was feeling so uncomfortable being the center of their gossip and just wanted to make it to Ian's room as soon as possible.

Rushing down the hall, Cadey tried not to look back. She was tired of all the whispering voices around her. Everyone recognized her and had some inkling of her current relationship with Dearka, but they didn't know the whole story leading to many rumors.

In a matter of moments, Cadey reached Ian's door. Her hair swept by her as she came to a sudden stop and fell into place down her back after it caught up with her paused motion. Quickly she rang the bell to the door before punching in the code Yzak had provided her to unlock the unit.

Ian had barely sat up before she flew through the door and pressed the button for it to close swiftly, eyes of curiosity trying to catch a glimpse of her. She was sure now that people saw who's room she was entering there would be even more rumors floating about. Letting out a sigh, she walked further into the room not even looking at Ian's reaction to her presence.

"Cadey? What are you doing here?" he asked in shock.

Her brown eyes opened softly with a smile on her face that reeked of trouble. Ian was afraid to ask what was on her mind, but it was too late. He had given her the opportunity to fill him in on her scheme before realizing the look on her face.

"I'm here to make sure all your dreams come true. That is, if you still want that silly Natural of Dearka's," she replied deviously.

That proved it! She was up to no good again leaving Ian to debate if taking her advice would really be in his best interest or be the biggest mistake of his life. He had after all, decided to be as devious as she was in order to win Miriallia away from Dearka. Now he had to make the final decision to follow through with it or not.

"So, what do you have up your sleeve this time Cadey?" Ian asked sealing his fate.

"Just this," she said pulling a small object out of her pocket and tossing it in Ian's direction.

"A recording? Of what?" he asked curiously looking at its case over as he flipped it through his fingers.

"Just something that will devastate that girl beyond belief and send her running into your arms regardless of the fact that she has a daughter with Dearka. I certainly wouldn't stand for such a recording if I was as fragile as that girl seems to be," Cadey said with an evil grin.

"What do I have to do?" Ian asked now gripping the tape in his hand firmly.

Cadey walked closer to him looking him straight in the eyes and then sat down next to him on the bed. She leaned closer to whisper in his ear as if there was a possibility of them being spied on.

"All you have to do is show it to her after she gets close to Dearka again. Let him build up her trust for just a little while longer and then act as a concerned friend that found this tape among Dearka's things in the locker room after a battle," Cadey stated now moving away from his ear and remaining comfortably on his bed next to him.

"That's not so easy Cadey. I would have to get my self assigned to the Voltaire for that scenario to work," Ian answered back finding a flaw in her plan.

"You don't think you can charm your way back into being friends with Dearka? He does need help still you know. Yzak can only do so much for him. The more support he gets from friends, even former ones, is better than nothing. Plus if Dearka feels he needs your help he'll beg Yzak to move you over to the Voltaire. Especially if you help that girl to remember him," Cadey replied feeling as though her friend was stupid.

"It's still not that easy! I'm sure he knows you're here and he'll be able to put two and two together in no time. He'll know I'm up to something with you to drive him and Miriallia apart," Ian replied adding a bit of rationalism to the insanity.

"What if I said I wasn't going to be staying? I was thinking of heading home for a while and getting some rest. That kid of his is exhausting and a selfish little thing. She wants to touch everything and thinks everything is hers," Cadey answered in annoyance.

"Sounds like someone I know," Ian said mocking her.

"Oh shut up! You can be such a jerk when you want to be. Now are you going to stop whining and take my advice or are you going to sit here and let Dearka be happy while you are miserable? You know this is a foolproof plan if you play it right. He won't even see it coming, particularly if I'm nowhere in sight," Cadey replied as she hit him in the back of the head.

"I don't know about this. It's seems to be a pretty intricate plan that has to be executed perfectly in order for it to work. If one part gets screwed up, the whole plan is dead. Why aren't you just giving Miriallia this extremely suspicious recording of yours?" Ian asked finally realizing he hadn't even tried to figure out why Cadey needed him in the first place.

"Well, mainly because if Dearka found out it came from me, he would be able to discredit it too quickly. Even if he is able to in the future, it will be too late from the time that will lapse if you do it. Even more so if you say you found it in his stuff. Then he may not have the ability to discredit it at all. You want that girl to remember a lot about her time with Dearka, but not so much his personality and character. It may seem difficult, but it's actually pretty simple. Just help Dearka remind her of actual events and not how she felt during them and you are golden," Cadey said smiling again.

"Do I even want to know what is on this tape?" Ian asked curiously.

"Probably not, but I guarantee it will blow their relationship out of the water!" she exclaimed happily.

"Then I guess I should say, 'here we go again'," he replied accepting the deal with the devil that had been so happily placed in his lap.


	5. Spontaneity

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 5**

Spontaneity

**The next morning…**

The silence that filled the room throughout the night had finally broken leaving Miriallia to squirm ever so gently in her place. Dearka was still fast asleep in his peaceful slumber next to her, the clock ticking away the moments ever so softly.

Miriallia woke up feeling more comfortable than she could remember for the past few months. She gently stirred from her spot in Dearka's arms and heard the sound of a young child babbling to herself.

Slowly she lifted her head from its' place against Dearka's chest and saw the little girl in her crib happily talking to her stuffed animals in a whispered hush with her head still down on her pillow. It was one of Belle's morning rituals that Dearka had missed for so long.

Dearka felt the motion from Miriallia and heard Belle's whispers getting louder and began to open his eyes. When he saw Miriallia staring at Belle, he smiled at her.

_"I wish I could wake up like this every day,"_ he thought happily to himself.

She felt him looking at her and snapped out of her daze.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Nothing," he replied calmly.

"I highly doubt it's nothing with the way you're looking at me. And why am I still here?" she asked.

"You were asleep when I returned from the battle," Dearka answered nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you wake me up after the battle and bring me back to the Rousseau where I belong? And why are we in bed together? And before you say it was too dangerous to take me back, I can't imagine that there are no empty rooms on this ship for me to stay in," she asked angrily.

"Forgot already have you and what do you mean where you belong?" he questioned.

The day before flashed into her mind as she remembered he had known about the baby she was carrying when no one else, but the Commander and Doctor did. She had almost forgotten he was going to explain things to her after he claimed to be her baby's father.

"I don't believe you are the father of my baby. Tell me, how did you know about it? Was it the Commander who told you?" Miriallia questioned suspiciously as she climbed over him to get out of the bed, still in her dress from the day before.

"No, he didn't tell me. I was telling you the truth. I'm the father of the baby you're carrying. Do you see that little girl over there in the crib?" he asked.

Miriallia looked back over at the little girl once again before turning to face the man still lying in the bed.

"Of course I see her, I'm not blind. Who is she? She wasn't here before you left," she retorted.

"She is our daughter. We were a couple before the EAF kidnapped you. I just got her back last night and brought her back to the room with me," he said getting out of the bed.

_"Why do I feel as though I should trust him?"_ she thought cautiously.

She looked between the two in the room with her before looking down to her hand. She still didn't want to believe what he was telling her even with the nagging feeling that he was being truthful. Pausing as her eyes remained on the hand still she thought about something she hadn't before.

"Then I have a question for you. If you are the father of my baby that is," she said.

"Sure, what is it?" Dearka asked.

"Why aren't we married?" she asked noticing she had no ring imprint on her left ring finger when she was looking down.

Dearka's eyes widened at her question. To him it was a very random question. Not knowing where the question stemmed from, he answered carefully.

"Well, it's complicated. We're really just a couple," Dearka said rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

He hadn't expected her to be so forward with such a question of life altering magnitude. The truth was he didn't know why they weren't married. After finding out about Belle, all he wanted was to be with her. It had never crossed his mind that marrying her was an option. Then again, he wasn't sure he was really the marrying kind of guy.

_"Sure I was supposed to marry Cadey, but that was all a political arrangement. If I wasn't being forced I don't think I would have ever married anyone,"_ Dearka thought.

"So you're telling me we have a daughter and are having another child together and we're not married. We're just a 'couple'," she said sarcastically using finger quotes in the air on the word couple.

She had gone from not wanting to believe him to being utterly upset at him. Dearka stood there feeling extremely uncomfortable without saying a word as she continued her small rant at him. It was starting to feel like old times for him with her volatile temper.

"And it's not really that complicated. I may not remember my past, but I still do have common sense. I don't believe you at all. You aren't the father of my baby and that little girl isn't our daughter. It's probably complicated for you because you are just trying to deceive me to get information out of me for ZAFT and I won't fall for it," she replied simply.

That had been the last straw. He had been extremely patient with her during her tirade but couldn't take it anymore. Saying Belle wasn't their daughter set him over-the-edge. She was right there in front of her and she couldn't remember her.

"You know if you really had common sense you would have searched for me yourself when you found out about our daughter and things might not have become so complicated. And yes, she is our daughter no matter what you want to believe right now. Things didn't quite work out the way either of us may have planned them when we were younger. I'm not trying to get EAF intelligence for ZAFT. Things are the way they are because we made a mistake and we can't change them now and we've barely had time to discuss anything since you were kidnapped," Dearka snipped at her quietly.

Dearka closed his eyes in regret at what he had just said. He never wanted to call her a mistake, but in the end, that was what Belle had been.

_"I wouldn't change it for the world, but it was still not something we planned on,"_ he thought trying to console himself for what he had said.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Miriallia snipped back not quite as quiet as he had been.

"It means, how should I know why you chose to sleep with me without being married? You came to me honey and it only takes one round in the bedroom," he said with his feisty sarcasm.

Miriallia had a quick flash once Dearka called her honey with the same mocking tone he had used a few years prior when she had brought his food to him. It gave her one more memory of him and another piece of the jumbled puzzle that was her life.

"You jerk!" she screamed just goading him further.

She closed her eyes and swung at him with an open palm, her hand only to be met by his in mid-air. Her eyes slowly opened, a few tears falling down her cheek.

"Hey, as I said, you came to me in the beginning and I've done nothing but bent over backwards for you. So, if you still don't believe me then go back to the Rousseau and stay with Ian for all I care," he said angrily giving up the battle with her.

Saying that made him angrier than anything she had said to him. It was like he was giving her the validation she needed to stay with Ian, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

_"He may be telling me the truth. If I leave and he isn't lying to me, what will I do? I can't take my child away from a father who seems to love him or her so much,"_ Miriallia thought as her hand fell to her womb.

Belle began to talk louder to get their attention on her. She was still strapped in the crib and wanted nothing more than to be freed from her prison.

"Hang on, I have to get our daughter up now," he said feeling dejected from Miriallia's memory loss.

Miriallia watched him walk by her. She had been so angry about finding him in bed with her she hadn't noticed how perfect his chiseled features were. In no time her face was flushed and she felt the heat rising through her body.

Dearka unsnapped the safety restraints and picked Belle up carefully holding the smiling and excited girl close to him not even noticing Miriallia's sudden rush of fever. Belle was so happy to see Dearka and made it known with a few words.

"Daddy! Home," Belle babbled with enthusiasm.

"Yup, you're home with daddy," Dearka replied.

Belle looked around the room to get her bearings when her little blue eyes fell on someone else she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Mommy!" she cried happily squirming in Dearka's arms.

Miriallia stepped back in shock at the child's cry. How could she not believe what he was telling her when the little girl in his arms had called out to her as mommy? She stood still for another moment as Dearka looked upon her.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked raising his eyebrows at her.

Miriallia shook her head in confusion. She didn't know what to believe. She had heard it for herself. And the fact that she had just been standing there flushed at how the young man standing in front of her could turn her on without saying a word.

"Can I hold her?" she asked cautiously.

Dearka stepped forward with Belle snuggled in his arms now. She had finally stopped squirming but continued to keep her arms out toward Miriallia. As he stood in front of her, he gently handed their daughter over to her.

"Of course you can. You haven't had her in your arms in a very long time due to the circumstances and she is still your daughter," Dearka replied calmly.

Miriallia held the young girl in her arms and felt warm all over. She couldn't explain the feeling of content that had come over her or why it had. She moved over to the bed and sat down with Belle in her arms as Dearka looked on at his girls.

Flashes of memories began to fill Miriallia's head again startling her. The accident that had separated her and Belle in the first place and all the way back to the moment she first found out she was pregnant came over her all at once.

"Miriallia?" Dearka asked concerned.

Miriallia put Belle on the ground gently and lay back down on Dearka's bed facing the wall. Dearka narrowed his eyes at her and walked over to the bed positioning his body next to her. His hand brushed over her back sending a relaxing sensation down her spine.

"You remembering something?" he asked gently.

"You," she replied softly.

She turned her head to look at him, tears now streaming down her cheeks catching him off guard.

"What did you remember?" he asked feeling he already knew the answer.

"You never came back. I remember that you had promised me you would return to me and you never did," she said the hurt resurfacing all over again as if she was reliving the event.

"I know. I made a mistake that you forgave me for and in turn I forgave you for some mistakes you made with Belle. That's why I said it was complicated," he answered sincerely.

Even though she was in a fragile state he had no intention of lying anymore to her. He had said that to himself so many times in the past and never followed through, but this time, he intended to keep to his word.

"What else do you remember about it all?" he prodded.

"It hurt," was all Miriallia could say.

Dearka leaned over and gently kissed the lips of an astonished Miriallia.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her as he slowly pulled away after the kiss.

Miriallia's face was flushed again as an overwhelming emotion took control of her. She stood up to meet Dearka face to face and threw her arms around him and trapped him with a passionate kiss.

Her hands moved over his chest making him feel more desperate for her. He had been without her for so long that all he wanted to do was make love to her. He felt her hands move from his chest and over his shoulders to the back of his neck and into his hair allowing their kiss became more intense.

Falling to the bed she felt his hands move up the side of her body making her release their lip lock to catch her breath. Before they were able to go any further, a small squeak came from the floor snapping them both from the moment.

"Annabella," Miriallia said biting her lip softly.

Dearka's eyes opened in shock when he heard Miriallia call Belle by her full name.

_"She really is remembering her past,"_ he thought.

Miriallia gently pushed Dearka off of her and slid to the ground to hold Belle in her arms once more. Dearka fell back down on the bed partially wishing Belle hadn't been in the room moments before. He had been so thrown by Miriallia's aggressiveness that he had forgotten their little girl was there.

_"Good thing she reminded us she was here,"_ he thought with a small smirk on his face at his sheer forgetfulness.

Dearka continued to watch Miriallia holding Belle close to her on the floor and decided now was his chance to make his move. He slid down off the bed next to the two of them.

"You know I've been thinking a lot about us since you disappeared. And maybe it's time to make things a little less complicated," Dearka started nervously.

"What do you mean?" Miriallia asked never letting go of Belle.

"Marry me," he blurted out.

Miriallia didn't know what to say or do and she could see how nerve wracked Dearka was becoming next to her.

"What! You want me to marry you when I don't completely remember who you are," Miriallia cried out.

"What does it matter that you don't remember me completely? You remember me enough to know we belong together. And even if what you are remembering isn't enough for you, the baby you're carrying should be. Come on, what do you say?" Dearka coaxed.

"I…don't know," Miriallia stuttered still taken by surprise.

Dearka waited another moment for it all to sink in. Although, he couldn't believe he had even worked up the nerve to ask in the first place and was beginning to feel less sure as the moments ticked away.

He had been deep in thought before Miriallia's sudden breakthrough and about the whole concept of marriage that she had brought up to him. Settling down was never on his high on his priority list and now here he was begging her to marry him. But with two kids and an overwhelming attraction to the woman sitting next to him, he couldn't resist.

"Please Miriallia! We belong together and you know it. Somewhere deep inside you really do. You wouldn't have done what you just did a few minutes before if you didn't have some sort of feelings for me," Dearka pleaded.

Miriallia's eyes narrowed gently as she continued to debate the question silently in her head leaving Dearka to continue babbling nervously as he awaited her decision.

"At least consider it. I love you too much to lose you again and I'll do whatever it takes to be back with you. Just ask me and I'll do it if you marry me," he stated.

Miriallia was still debating to herself when he said that he would do anything for her and made her decision.


	6. Breakthrough

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 6**

Breakthrough

**On the Rousseau…**

Ian was in his room getting ready for his first day back on active duty when he heard the buzzer on his room ring. He quickly threw on his pants before answering the call.

"Enter," he said shortly as he grabbed for his t-shirt to throw on under his uniform jacket.

As quick as a bunny, Cadey hopped into the room avoiding the gossipers that sounded like chirping birds in the hall still wondering what she was doing here and not over on the Voltaire with her fiancée.

"Oh it's you again," he said teasing her slightly.

"Ha, ha, very funny. You never told me your final decision last night. Are you going to go through with my plan or not? I need to know before I head out today," she stated.

"You're leaving today? I thought you were going to stick around for a little while," Ian said confused.

"I told you I was leaving which would make the plan that much more executable. Besides, if you choose not to help out, I have to think up a new plan and that will take some time," she said.

Ian rolled his eyes at the fact that even if he didn't offer a hand she would still try to figure out a way to destroy Miriallia and Dearka's relationship.

_"She just doesn't give up. Guess that's good for me though. Even if her plan doesn't work this time, sooner or later she'll drive Miriallia crazy and straight into my arms just for sanity's sake,"_ Ian thought grinning at his friend standing before him.

"Yeah, but I didn't think you'd want to leave Dearka so soon. And what about hanging out with your best friend here? Or was I replaced somewhere along this crazy road with someone else?" he joked.

"Well, Dearka doesn't want to see me at all so why continue to provoke his anger. I know better than that. When he calms down he'll be more approachable," she said with a smile.

Ian walked over and slid the glass doors to his closet open, the wheels to the door squeaking along the track.

"Oh thanks mention Dearka but don't mention me," he said grabbing his belt from the closet.

"Please, you already know you weren't replaced. Who else would still care so much for me even after all the crazy things I've done in my life," she stated walking over to him and leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"True," he replied laughing at her a bit.

"You'd think with all the fancy technology on the ship that the closets would be automatic too," Cadey said pointing out the obvious difference in the room features on the ship.

"Yeah, you'd think," Ian answered starting to thread the belt.

"So?" she asked.

"So what?" he asked as he finished fastening it securely.

"Are you going to help me or not? I thought you wanted that girl of his," Cadey prodded.

"Oh yeah, that. I guess it sounds possible to pull off. But I don't know if it is such a good idea. Don't you think sooner or later he will figure out what happened and you two still won't be together?" Ian asked considering the possibility.

"Just let me deal with that. Besides, you'll still get that girl you want and he'll be so devastated to lose out to you that it won't matter what I did. He'll have no one else to turn to," she said smiling at her brilliance.

"Honestly, you are extremely delusional at times," Ian said.

"What do you mean? I'm not delusional," Cadey replied with a huff and folding her arms in front of her.

"The emphasis was on at times Cadey. He has plenty of girls chasing after him on these two ships alone. Why do you think he will take you back when he can just move on with one of them? That is if he will move on," Ian asked curiously.

"Simple, they don't have the ultimatum from his family attached to them. If losing this so-called love of his life crushes him; he'll need to get in the good graces of his family again. You know all that money in his trust fund is only his once we get married. So if he can't be with her, he'll need a way to survive," Cadey reasoned.

"He has a job you know. Remember, he's a pilot in the military or have you forgotten you are on a war ship?" Ian teased.

"Really, you are becoming more and more like him everyday. I don't know why I ever introduced the two of you when we were all younger. At least if that's a quality that girl likes in him, she'll find it in you as well," Cadey said about his mocking tone.

"But you haven't answered me yet. You realize he doesn't need his parents money don't you?" Ian asked again more directly.

Cadey closed her eyes and tilted her head to her left side giving a small shrug as if to say it didn't faze her in the least.

"Give me a break. We ARE talking about Dearka here. Once a playboy, always a playboy, so he needs the money to get back to what he knows best," Cadey stated matter-of-factly.

"But if he really reverted to his playboy style, you wouldn't have him anyway, so what does it even matter. You'll still never have him all to yourself if he was out running around like he used to," Ian replied.

"I know, but I'd rather have some part of him for some of the time than none of him at all. I gave up on the possibility of him being with only me a long time ago. The only girl he seems to want to be monogamous with is Belle's mother. I don't know what it is about that girl that captures his attention but I don't like it," Cadey said bitterly.

She moved over to Ian's desk and began rustling through some papers he had left out on his desk before continuing what she had to say.

"I do have to give her credit though. She has accomplished what no other woman has with him," Cadey said.

"And what's that?" Ian asked.

"Gotten him to settle down with one person and quit those childish games of his," Cadey stated.

The thought of Dearka settling down with Miriallia after Ian saw all that they had been through in the past made him sick. He hadn't given up on those childish games as Cadey had said. In fact, he was still playing them even now in an attempt to take Miriallia from him.

_"She was supposed to go out with me that day. I could tell she really liked me even from our brief encounter. It was obvious someone had hurt her pretty badly and then to find out it was Dearka, my best friends' fiancée. It still makes me sick how he treated Cadey that day when he found Miriallia again. She didn't deserve to be tossed aside when he realized the victim of the attack that day was the same someone he walked out on in the past,"_ Ian thought to himself.

He looked down at Cadey who was still waiting for his response to her earlier question, his thoughts reaffirming his decision.

"I'll do it. I'll help you separate Dearka and Miriallia," Ian replied.

"Then it's settled, you work your way back into Yzak and Dearka's good graces and steer clear of that Miriallia girl for now and I'll head out and wait until it's time for me to swoop in and pick up the pieces of his shattered heart," Cadey said and gave him a hug.

Ian held Cadey in the embrace and closed his eyes tightly. He knew she was the only person who ever looked out for him. Even if this time she was doing it more for herself than for him, he knew she still cared about him.

"This had better work though, for both our sakes," Ian said.

"It will, don't you worry about that. That is as long as you follow through with the plan. Now, you need to finish getting ready for duty and I have to head for the shuttle bay. I do have a shuttle to catch after all," she said heading for the door.

"You're not even going to say goodbye to him?" Ian questioned.

"Nope. It will look better for me if you or Yzak end up mentioning it to him that I've already left. He may actually think I've finally given up," Cadey said walking outside to hear all the gossipers starting up again as soon as they saw her.

"This is actually really annoying. Really people, I'm only the daughter of a council member. I'm not Lacus Clyne for crying out loud," Cadey snipped as she tried to slip by the people.

It earned a small laugh from Ian as he saw everyone trudging down the hall to see what Cadey's next move was going to be. From the looks of it, they really wanted the inside scoop of why Cadey was over here and not with Dearka.

_"They probably want to know if they broke up so they can have a shot at him too," _Ian thought annoyed as he headed out on his own to the bridge of the Rousseau.

As she disappeared out of his sight, he saw a few of the gossipers turn to look at him.

_"Uh oh, I better get out of here quickly,"_ he thought as he grabbed his communicator and headed out the door.

"Hey Ian," he heard one of the girls call him.

Ian turned quickly with a meek smile as his eyes met the girl calling out to him.

"Yeah?" he asked regrettably.

"What was Cadey White doing over here and why was she in your room?" Ellie asked.

"I really need to get going Ellie. Sorry," Ian said turning to run down the hall.

Unfortunately for him, Ellie was heading in the same direction and gave chase after him. When she finally caught up to him, she grabbed his shoulder to turn him toward her.

"Ian what is wrong with you? Why wouldn't you answer my question?" Ellie asked.

"Because it's none of your business, that's why. And how in the world did you catch up to me so quickly?" Ian said now feeling annoyed that Cadey's celebrity status amongst Coordinators was dragging him into the limelight.

"You know you could be more civil to the rest of us on board and especially to me for that matter. I was the one who helped Lt. Elsman find you on the ship after all when the two of you were being all stealthy," she said with a wink and her pointer finger up in the air.

Ian shook his head with his eyes rolling up to the ceiling of the hallway at the way she had become much more friendly with him since the incident that landed both him and Dearka in hot water with Yzak.

"I thought she was Lt. Elsman's fiancée. Or am I going to have to start a rumor that the two of you are seeing each other behind his back. He would be so mad," she said jokingly.

"I doubt that," Ian said more to himself than to her.

"What was that?" Ellie asked not quite hearing him clearly.

"Nothing, never mind. Look, Cadey and I aren't seeing each other, we're just friends. We've been friends since we were kids," he answered honestly.

"Oh, darn," she said snapping her fingers in front of her.

"Oh darn what?" Ian asked curiously.

She looked at him with a mischievous smirk and then looked down at the ground for a moment.

"Forget it," she said now looking back up at him and then heading toward the bridge.

Ian shot up to attention at her sudden motion and chased after her this time.

"No wait, what?" he asked even more curious.

"Well, I was just hoping I would have some juicy gossip. But I guess it's better for me that you aren't seeing Cadey," she said with another wink and then took off in a sprint.

Ian stood there in shock at her sheer speed and blinked in confusion at her comment before hearing her call back to him once again.

"I ran track," she called from a distance knowing he wasn't chasing after her again.

"Figures," Ian said softly as he headed in the same direction for his shift.

**On the Voltaire…**

Dearka had been waiting for what seemed like forever for her answer and was shifting uncomfortably on the floor next to his girls. He had stayed silent after his last plea in order to avoid swaying her from not accepting.

Miriallia continued to play with her little girl who had gotten up and grabbed some toys before heading back to sit down a few minutes prior to Dearka's last attempt to convince Miriallia to marry him. This left Dearka to huffing at the vast amount of time that ticked away from them as his first official shift after probation came nearer.

"I can't help but feel as though you are telling me the truth, but I don't know why I can't remember it myself," she said softly.

"But you have to know deep in your heart that there is something there. Something between us I mean," he rephrased.

"I know but what if you aren't being completely honest with me. If you and I were together once but aren't anymore. How can I marry someone when I don't know all the circumstances behind our relationship?" she asked solemnly.

"I told you I would do anything, just name it. I'll prove to you that we belong together if I have to," Dearka said beginning to feel sick from the nerves that had taken over him.

"All right, I'll marry you on one condition," Miriallia said.

"Anything," Dearka said finally letting out the breath of air he had been holding in for so long.

"If I find out for any reason that we were never a couple or that we were no longer a couple, you'll let me go," Miriallia stated.

"What like a prenuptial?" Dearka asked raising an eyebrow at her.

It was a little shocking for him. He thought he would be the one begging for a way out of marriage easily if it didn't work out the way he expected it to.

"You said you would do anything. I don't remember much, but I am starting to remember you a little and as much as I want to believe you, I feel there is something about our relationship you aren't telling me. All I've wanted was to be a family with the father of this baby since I lost my memory, but until I have my full memory back, I have to be careful," Miriallia stated.

"Fine, a prenup it is then," Dearka replied.

"You're not even going to argue about it?" Miriallia asked shocked.

"Well, you're right. I said I would do anything if you agreed to marry me and I'm sure that will be something we never have to use," he said confidently.

"And…" she started earning his attention again.

"And? There's something else?" he asked feeling a bit uncomfortable with the way she had said it.

"Well you said…" she started again before being cut off by him.

"Yeah, yeah, I said anything. What else?" he asked his eyes closed and his hand waving it off in the air.

"We can wait until I remember just a little bit more," she stated.

"Uh, okay I guess. But what more do you want to remember if you are adding in the prenup?" Dearka asked curiously.

"I want to remember my family and I don't mean you and Annabella. I want to remember my parents and anyone else I may have forgotten," she said gently.

"Oh I see; you're going to want a real wedding too. One of those fancy things with all the frills," he said slightly teasing her.

She twisted her head quickly in his direction at his comment.

"Of course I would want a real wedding. As I said before I may not remember much about my personal life, but I do still want things to be the way I've dreamed them to be," she snipped.

"If you don't remember much about your personal life, how do you know you dreamed of a wedding like that? Or were you dreaming of one since you met me yesterday?" he continued teasing with a wink.

"You are not funny Elsman," she said hitting him on the arm playfully.

Alarms rang off in Dearka's head as he turned to look at her with another shocked look.

"What?" she asked now alarmed too by the wide-eyed look he gave.

"What did you just call me?" he asked.

"Elsman," she replied realizing where he was going with it.

"You didn't just call me by my last name, you said it playfully the way you used to. And did you notice before I never called Belle by her full name. You did that on your own," he said happy at her unknowing breakthrough.

"But you told me your name yesterday. Your whole name," she replied not accepting it as the breakthrough he made it out to be.

"Yeah, but you didn't call me by my last name at all. You didn't even repeat it after I said it. You only called me Dearka. This is the first time that you didn't retort at my teasing of you but instead played on it. If nothing else, you should be excited that you remembered Belle's full name since I never mentioned it to you," he said still feeling the elation from her words.

"So, I guess we're getting married," Miriallia said agreeing with his assessment of the words that had mysteriously slipped from her lips.

Dearka leaned over feeling more confident about everything in his life than he had been in a long time and kissed her fully on the lips. She fell into his passionate kiss as Belle began to pull on them to get their attention back to her and forcing them to part.

"As much as I would love to continue this, and believe me I would, I have to go on my shift now. Will you be okay if I leave you here with Belle? Or should I bring her down to one of my friends on the ship?" Dearka asked.

Miriallia paused and looked down at Belle who had made her way into her arms again.

"I think Annabella and I will be okay," Miriallia said with a wink and earning a gleeful 'Yay' from Belle.


	7. A New Dawn

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 7**

A New Dawn

Dearka finished his shift and began making his way off the bridge. All he wanted to do was get back to Miriallia and Belle to see how they were fairing. He had left them to return to his first official day back on duty.

"Hey Dearka, wait up!" Yzak had called to him as he ran to catch up.

Dearka turned in shock to see his Commander rushing off the bridge to see him. It wasn't more than two minutes ago they were together. He glared in his direction fearing he was going to be asked to work more hours. His hope was that the look he gave would deter Yzak, even a little.

"Yeah?" he asked caution in his voice as he finally stopped his stride. He continued to look behind him every few seconds as Yzak came closer, longing to escape and make it back to his quarters. He was desperate to see her beautiful face again.

"You haven't told me how my birthday present worked out for you yet. I didn't escort her back to the Rousseau last night or today, so I'm assuming it went well. And now that you have your kid back too I was wondering how you were doing."

It wasn't often that Yzak was sincere especially on the subject of Dearka's current love life. He wouldn't deny that the Natural girl he had picked was cute, but as much as he couldn't stand Cadey's personality, he still preferred her for his friend. After all, she was a Coordinator and even prettier than Lacus Clyne and Dearka could have her all to himself if he wanted to.

The problem was he didn't want her. He wanted the cute, sweet Natural girl and there was nothing anybody could say or do to change his mind. This left Yzak only one choice, follow Shiho's advice and support his friend no matter what he chose to do.

"You're lucky I don't sucker punch you for that. I can't believe you would bring it up!" Dearka was amazed at how clueless Yzak really was. No woman wants to be given away like a piece of property and all it did was leave Dearka as the one to be blamed for the entire mess. Luckily for him he slipped with knowledge on Miriallia's condition leaving her curious for more information.

"I thought you would really like it," he said in earnest.

He almost felt like decking Dearka now himself but kept calm. He couldn't believe how unappreciative he was being. But again Shiho's words of wisdom entered his mind.

_"No matter what Dearka says to upset you, you have to keep your cool Yzak. He's going through a life changing experience right now and he really doesn't need you biting his head off."_

_"Damn it Shiho, why do your words always affect my conversations with Dearka lately?"_ Yzak thought while waiting for Dearka to respond.

"Look, I get what you were trying to do and I did really like it, I won't lie. But do you think if I waltzed into your office with Shiho tied with a ribbon that she wouldn't want to kill you for what I did?" Dearka asked using Yzak's personal life as an example to get through to him.

It took Yzak a moment to think about what Dearka had just said, but when realization finally hit, he no longer wanted to deck Dearka.

"Wow, never thought of it like that. I don't even WANT to imagine what Shiho would do to me. I hope I didn't make things worse for you."

Dearka sighed at his friend, his tense shoulders now relaxing. "No you didn't make things worse. Well, you almost did, but when the battle started last night she was thrown from her spot and I caught her. My back still hurts a little from the fall. We hit the ground pretty hard and I was so worried about her that I kind of blurted out that I knew about the baby."

He had done it; he had finally admitted the truth of what he had done to Yzak. He had been so afraid to mention anything after the battle the night before. And now he knew the inevitable was coming.

"You did what?" Yzak screamed.

There it is, Yzak's inability to control his anger had emerged and Dearka was the one to drag it out as usual.

"Look I'm sorry, I know I wasn't supposed to say anything until the doc told us it was okay but it's still my baby and I didn't think before I spoke," Dearka defended.

"I can't believe you could be so stupid. What if you did more harm than good in the end? You're lucky she didn't overload on you," Yzak stated.

"I realize that now, but I was really worried. Besides, she didn't go into overload and in the end, she remembered a lot about us as a couple. Plus having Belle back made this morning a pretty good one too. Did I mention I'm marrying her?" Dearka said with a smirk.

Yzak quirked an eyebrow, his friend had finally lost it. She was only dropped off in his room yesterday. There was no way he would have the courage to ask her so quickly.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not crazy. She remembered a few things and I did it. I asked her to marry me. It wasn't as romantic as it could have been, but I didn't want to let the opportunity slip by me again, so I took it."

"You're kidding," Yzak said in disbelief.

Dearka gave him a grin he hadn't seen in a long time. It was the grin he used to use when he had done something or in most cases someone that he had wanted to for so long.

"Oh my God, you're serious. You asked her to marry you and she said yes?" Yzak asked in shock.

"You better believe it, although she did have one condition," Dearka answered.

Yzak never thought he would hear those words come out of Dearka's mouth voluntarily. Although the part about there being a condition made Yzak feel a little nervous. "And what was her condition?"

"We can't get married until she remembers more and sees her folks again," Dearka stated some of the terms she had laid out for him.

"How long do you think that'll take?" Yzak asked curiously.

"Don't know. I'll have to ask the doc where she stands in the memory department. I definitely hope it's before the baby is due though." Dearka looked behind him once again realizing he had been wasting a lot of time talking with Yzak in the halls; time that could have been better spent by Miriallia's side.

"Hey speaking of the doctor, you'll have to bring her to her appointments on the Rousseau from now on. I'm not doing it anymore, it's your responsibility," Yzak stated bluntly.

"The Rousseau, can't I just bring her to the doctor on the Voltaire?" Dearka asked with a hint of irritation.

"The doctor on our ship doesn't know the first thing about the treatments she's undergoing. I think it's best to just leave her with the doctor that's been treating her since she arrived here," Yzak answered wisely.

"Well, can't we just switch the doctors' posts around then? Bring him here to the Voltaire?" he asked still not wanting to make the trek to the Rousseau every few weeks or so.

Yzak was annoyed at his request. As far as he was concerned Dearka had used all the IOU's he had on Yzak. "Look Dearka, this ship isn't here for your amusement. I can't just go switching personnel around whenever something doesn't suit you. Just get on the damn shuttle and bring her over there whenever he calls for her."

Dearka hadn't expected Yzak to snip at him like that, but then again, he had pushed the limits of their friendship lately. He never used to be such a high maintenance friend, but it seemed he needed more help putting his new family together than he had wanted to admit.

He stood there in silence as Yzak twisted away with his usual haughty expression.

Before Dearka could apologize for his childish behavior, the boys heard Yzak's communicator go off.

"Yes Marie?"

Dearka stood there watching to see what was going on. It wasn't often that Marie called Yzak on his communicator unless there was an urgent message from the Council or if the alarms were blaring to fill him in on the situation for battle.

"Sir, I have Lieutenant Ian Randall requesting a meeting with you. He is in the Rec Room on the Voltaire," she replied.

"What's he doing here?" Dearka asked.

Yzak shrugged before continuing with Marie. "Thank you Marie, I'm on my way."

He flipped off the communicator and slipped it back into his pocket. "Look, I'm going to see what Ian wants. You wanna come too?"

"You know I do," Dearka answered without missing a beat.

The two headed down the hall in the direction of the Rec Room, neither one saying another word to one another. When they finally reached the room, Yzak made his presence known by ordering the rest of the off duty soldiers out of the room and locking the access altogether on the door panel.

"You could have asked them nicely to leave," Ian said without looking up from his magazine.

"What do you want Randall?" Dearka asked the anger lining his words.

"Temper, temper Elsman. You wouldn't want that type of behavior rubbing off on Belle, would you? I just came here to talk to the two of you and see if we could maybe get past all of this. What do you think?" he asked lifting his eyes up from the pages and giving Dearka a rueful smirk.

"Cut it out Dearka. I want to hear what he has to say," Yzak scolded.

Dearka's eyes widened at Yzak's response to him. Once again he was caught off guard with his friends directed anger at him. _"Shouldn't it be the other way around?"_ he thought glaring at Ian.

"Here's the deal, Yzak, you still owe me and I'm here to collect. I want to be transferred to the Voltaire and I want you to stop treating me the way you have been like you promised. And Dearka I'm glad you're here too. I was going to search you out next. We used to be good friends and I really do miss that. Somewhere along the way Cadey and Miriallia screwed our friendship up and I just want it back. I promise I won't make a move on Miriallia unless she tells you it's over and that's only after she gets her memory back completely. I also promise I won't be a pain and I'll listen to every order you give Yzak without question if you would just treat me the way you treat the other soldiers," Ian said.

"What's the catch?" Yzak asked suspiciously.

"No catch, I'm just lonely and I want things back the way they were again. I don't have any other friends on either of these ships and I'm not really interested in starting from scratch," Ian stated looking upon Dearka for forgiveness.

"Don't you still have Cadey over there hovering around you?" Dearka asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Interesting, she didn't tell you she was leaving? Wow, maybe she was serious this time about letting you go free. Who would have thought?" Ian said looking back down to his magazine.

Dearka's eyes widened again for the second time since he'd been in the room. "She left, there's no way!"

"You seem surprised, you told her not to 'hold her breath' didn't you?" Ian recited his words to Cadey yesterday.

"She told you that huh?" Dearka asked.

"We are still best friends no matter what she's done. Sort of like you and Yzak will remain best friends no matter what YOU'VE done," Ian stated with an attempt at showing Dearka how much more alike he was to Cadey than he had consciously realized.

"I don't care either way, it's up to Dearka if I transfer you here or not," Yzak said turning to walk toward the door.

Dearka watched as he left the room leaving Ian and him alone. "It's not like her to not say goodbye."

Ian could hear the sorrow in Dearka's voice. It was apparent to anyone how Dearka really felt about Cadey, whether he admitted to himself or not. He had fallen in love with her over the last two years they spent together. Most people believe you can only be in love with one person at a time, but Ian knew better than that.

He had also felt the way Dearka did at one point in his life. His past wasn't as wholesome as most would like to believe. "She still loves you Dearka, but it's not fair to keep hurting her the way you did."

"I should find her, tell her…"

"Tell her what? I just came to say goodbye and stab you deeper in the heart. I wanted you to know I'm going to be happy while you are miserable, good luck in the future? Really man, let her go, you don't really care about her," Ian said while reading the magazine and ignoring Dearka's expression.

"That's not true! I do care about her, damn it I love her too!"

Did those words just come out of his mouth? No, they couldn't have. He was in love with Miriallia. She was having his baby and they were going to get married and finally be a real family. Then why, why did he say that he loved Cadey too?

Ian dropped the magazine from his face into his lap and just stared at Dearka. Even he hadn't expected him to blurt out such a statement. "You can't have them both; it's not like back in the Academy where you could mess around with whomever you wanted to with no regrets. Besides, you belong with Miriallia. Belle proves that."

He used his words to work his way back into Dearka's good graces the way Cadey had planned him to do earlier that morning. She was right; she knew Dearka as well as she said she did. He bought it hook, line and sinker. Now all he had to do was plant a little seed of doubt in his head to begin the final step to the process.

"Although if you think about it, is Belle really a good thing to use as a basis of whom you belong with?" Ian asked staring off into space.

"Huh?" Dearka said partially under his breath.

"Wow, what if you didn't get Miriallia pregnant with Belle and instead you got Cadey pregnant when you guys were together for those two years. Now THAT would have been confusing for you. I wonder whom you would have chosen then. Would you really be with Miriallia or would you stay with Cadey because she was the one with your child?" Ian stated standing up from his spot.

Dearka watched him move, his words dancing in his head. _"Whom would I have chosen if it was the other way around?" _he thought as Ian pushed by him.

Ian turned to look at him again. "Come on, forget it, I was just thinking out loud. Sorry about that, can we finally call a truce and leave this whole sorted business in the past?" he asked reaching out his hand.

Dearka snapped out of his daze and outstretched his hand to meet his former rivals'. "Thanks for everything you did to protect Miriallia, Belle and even Cadey and this time I'm being sincere."

"I know you are. I'm just glad this fighting is finally over between us. I kind of miss watching you make a fool of yourself," he said with a wink.

Ian was about to step out the door when Dearka snapped back from his thoughts to what Ian had said previously. He decided to give him one last test before he truly believed his words. "Hey since we've patched things up, I have to be honest with you now. Miriallia is pregnant again and we're getting married. I just thought it would better for me to tell you than for you to find out from someone else, mainly Yzak."

He stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes. Did he just hear Dearka say that Miriallia was pregnant again? _"It's a test, but is it the truth?"_ he thought.

Ian turned to face Dearka with a smile on his face never letting him see the anger hiding behind his eyes. "Wow, I can't pretend I'm not shocked, but congratulations. I hope it's easier for you this time around and I guess tell her I said hi since I probably won't see her much anymore."

Dearka couldn't sense anything but the shock and supposed congratulatory feelings that were being portrayed by Ian. He no longer felt he had any reason to doubt the young man standing in front of him. "Thanks and I'll tell her."


	8. Settling In

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 8**

Settling In

**Three weeks later…**

Miriallia waited patiently as Dearka got Belle ready in her light blue dress. She had remembered a lot in the past few weeks and unfortunately for her, Cadey was one of them. "Where'd she get that outfit?"

She already knew the answer, but felt like asking anyway just to see his reaction. "You know where she got it. Belle stay still honey," Dearka said struggling with his little girl.

Miriallia hopped off the bed and grabbed Belle's coat. Another gift from the woman she hadn't personally met yet. "Let's go you two. I'm going to be late!"

"We're working on it!" Dearka snipped winning the battle to get Belle's arm through the final sleeve.

"Well hurry up!" she snapped back.

"You're just lucky you're pregnant right now," he said with a smirk indicating he would normally be a little more irritated with her nagging.

"Yeah, whatever, can we just go now? I've been waiting weeks for this appointment," she said with the anxiousness of a small child waiting for a treat.

"Fine, let's go. Belle put your coat on," Dearka ordered and sent his little girl toward her mother.

Belle obeyed and slipped her arms into the sleeves with her little black paten leather shoes clopping on the ground as she twisted her body into the coat. Her medium length hair had lengthened since she had been in the PLANTs and had begun to curl more leaving her practically looking like a child model. She still had her deepened tan skin like her father and crystal sea blue eyes like her mother.

Dearka could tell by looking at her that someday he would be beating the guys off with a stick to protect his little girl. A smile ran across his face. _"Go figure, it used to be me that other father's would try to protect their little girls from. Now I'm going to be doing the same thing," _he thought.

He heard Miriallia tapping her foot at him as the future faded back to the present. Quickly he moved in and swooped up their daughter moving past his irritated, pregnant, but beautiful fiancée. He felt her hand push him on his back in a playful attempt to make him move faster as they headed for the shuttle bay.

Today was a special day for Miriallia, she was finally going to see her baby for the first time and see how he or she was doing. As they made their way there, Dearka saw Ian walking through the halls. But before he could call out to him, Ian slipped down another corridor in a sly attempt to avoid the happy little family.

It was too much for him to take and the only way to avoid the pain was to avoid them all together. So most of the time he acted as if he didn't notice them and would say he must have been off in his own world when Dearka would call him on it.

"Is he mad at me or something?" Miriallia asked with concern.

"No, I don't think it's you he's mad at sweetheart," he answered placing his arm around her and herding her toward the bay.

Dearka knew full well whom Ian was frustrated with, even if he wouldn't admit it. But the fact was they had called a truce and Ian was staying true to his word and no longer moving in on Miriallia giving Dearka a moment to finally breathe. _ "Guess I can't blame the guy, it can't be easy to see Miriallia with me,"_ he thought.

In a matter of moments they had made it to the Rousseau for the appointment. Annabella hopped out of the shuttle with a bright smile and took off in a sprint toward the exit of the hanger earning a sigh of exhaustion from Miriallia. "Could you go get her please? I won't be able to keep up with her."

Without a word he jumped off the shuttle and chased Belle down while Miriallia walked at a normal pace to catch up to them. Once Dearka had her in his view he called to her. "Annabella Miriam Elsman, stop right there!"

Belle stopped in her tracks and began to giggle as she turned to see her father now within inches of her. He caught her off-guard and began to tickle her turning her giggles into full out laughter. "You are a little monkey, you know that?"

"Are the two of you done?" Miriallia asked raising her eyebrows with a smile on her face seeing what she had only dreamed about when she had waited for Dearka to return to her so long ago now in front of her.

"Yes mommy," Dearka and Belle said at the same time to tease her.

When they finally made it to the doctor's office Belle ran into the room and Miriallia put her hand on Dearka's chest. He looked down at her with a look of concern. Did she not want him to go in with her?

"Before we go in, I have to ask you a favor," she stated with a forlorn look.

Good, she wasn't going to tell him she didn't want him there. But what could it be that was bothering her?

"I want it to be a surprise for both of us. I don't want you trying to find out whether the baby is a boy or girl. Can you promise me that you will wait to find out with me?" Miriallia pleaded.

"Uh, okay if that's really what you want. But aren't you curious at all? I know I am," he said his eyes softening.

"Of course I'm curious, but I really want it to be a surprise. I waited to find out what Annabella was and I want to wait to find out what this baby is too. So that means no sneaking around behind my back Dearka Elsman," she warned with a wink.

"Alright, I won't be a snoop, I promise," Dearka said with a smile.

As the two headed in, they saw the doctor listening to Belle's heartbeat with his stethoscope. Knowing the entire situation the family had been in from the Commander and all the things Dearka and Miriallia had said themselves since he was treating her, he had taken the opportunity to take care of the toddler. He smiled at them as they looked on with a little confusion. "I figured I would give her a little check-up while you guys took your time out there. I realized she probably hadn't had one since she was back on Orb."

"That's right, she hadn't had her check-up before everything happened either, so she is definitely long overdue. Thank you," Miriallia said remembering the appointment had been schedule for a month after they would have originally been home from her photo shoot.

"Then should I bank on the fact that she hasn't had any of her updated inoculations either?" he asked earning a grimace from both Dearka and Belle.

"No shot!" Belle cried and pulled away running to hide behind her father.

"She's not really the bravest when it comes to shots and no, she hasn't been updated yet," Miriallia said smiling.

"Don't worry Belle, you're father hates shots as much as you seem to and speaking of your father," he looked over at Dearka with his eyebrows raised, "he seems to be overdue for his as well. January has come and gone my friend and you were in Orb on leave and weren't around for the immunization adaptations. You're lucky the Commander is a friend of yours or your file would have made you inactive right now."

"Damn, forgot about that. I was supposed to do that the last day of January. Yzak had it typed in the system anyway?" Dearka asked realizing Yzak was looking out for him even when he didn't think he was.

"Yup and you still need it regardless of what your file says, so I told him I would take care of it and make sure you were legitimately up to date," the doctor said with a content smile.

"It must be your favorite thing to see soldiers like me squirm at the thought of those immunizations," Dearka stated noticing the exuberant smile his face.

"It's why I started in the first place," he teased as he patted the seat.

"Go on," Miriallia said with a smile and pushed him forward.

"I'm sure you're just enjoying this too, aren't you," he huffed shaking off his grey sports jacket and making his way over after grabbing Belle from behind him.

"Oh please, I've had more shots and blood drawn between these two pregnancies and everything else I was put through to have any sympathy for you," she said crossing her arms.

"No! No shot!" Belle cried as Dearka sat down with her in his arms.

She threw a fit and continued to squirm trying to get out of Dearka's grip with no luck. Dearka held her tight as the doctor used the retractable needle on her upper right thigh. Before she could scream again, it was all over. "See Belle, it wasn't that bad," Dearka said calming her down.

"Iron," Miriallia stated to the doctor.

He nodded his understanding and got the stuff ready he would need for Dearka. "We'll give her a small breather and deal with the Lieutenant here first."

"Don't let her go yet Dearka," Miriallia ordered as he winced in pain from one of the three shots he had to be given.

"Why?" he asked wishing he had a free hand to rub his arm in between the first shot and the one coming next.

"You'll see," she answered keeping quiet about what was going on.

"You two are talking in code and why is it kids can get all their immunizations in practically one shot and with such a more convenient needle," Dearka noticed a little jealous of his daughters treatment.

"Because they need different immunizations than adults do, you've already had all of those when you were her age," the doctor answered while sticking him again.

"And the code you two are speaking in?" Dearka coaxed.

"You'll see," the doctor repeated Miriallia's words.

Dearka felt the final jab from the third needle and tried desperately to move his left arm around Belle to rub the right one to no avail.

"Dearka, stop that, you have to hold her still," Miriallia snapped at him.

He stopped trying to rub his arm and moved his hands around Belle's waste to stop her from squirming when she saw the doctor approaching her again. "Oh I see now."

Gently he took her right pointer finger and pricked it with a small retractable stick and used a glass slide to collect the blood before wrapping her finger with a colorful band-aid. "You can let her go now, she's officially done."

Dearka was glad to let her go because it meant he was free to rub his arm and hopefully stop most of the throbbing. "You know, I thought we came here for Miriallia and somehow you tricked us into getting updated too."

"Yes well you both needed this done and there's no better time than when you don't expect it so none of the staff has to hear your excuses on why you missed your appointments," the doctor stated knowing full well Dearka's track record.

The doctor moved beyond Dearka and grabbed Miriallia's hand leading her over to the reclined chair for her ultrasound. "And now on to you my dear, are we going to find out the baby's gender today or just if he or she is progressing well?"

"Just whether or not he or she is progressing well, I want it to be a surprise what the baby's sex is," Miriallia stated as Dearka's eyes fell.

"I was hoping you would change your mind," Dearka said bummed out.

"Now, now, you'll know soon enough. She's almost halfway there after all," he teased Dearka.

In no time at all, the four of them could hear the baby's heartbeat through the device and on the screen came a miraculous image in Dearka's eyes. "Is that it? Is that our baby?" he asked in amazement.

Miriallia moved her hand and slipped in under to grasp Dearka's. He had Belle on his lap and felt Miriallia squeeze his hand gently. He looked down at her and smiled softly. He had never seen such an amazing sight in his entire life.

The doctor began snapping pictures on the screen and labeling them for review as he watched the rhythmic heartbeat continue on the monitor. "It's looking like your baby is doing perfect. He or she is in good condition and growing at just the right pace. There are no problems that I can see on any of the scans. I think you are clear of the danger you had been in when you first came to me a couple of months ago. I'll take care of you as long as you are on the battle ship, but I am going to urge you to think about leaving before getting much further. You don't want to have the baby up here since we don't really have the facility to accommodate any procedures needed from possible complications," he stated sternly.

"So, what do you suggest I do with her?" Dearka asked not giving Miriallia a chance to speak.

"I have the name of a great OB/GYN on the base if you don't want her too far from you while you are on active duty. It would be better if you got a place assigned to you down there for her and your daughter to stay at instead of keeping them up here. That way she will be taken care of if anything unforeseen occurs," he answered handing Dearka a business card.

Dearka was at a loss for words. He wasn't used to taking care of anyone other than himself, medically speaking. But now, his fiancée and daughter's well being were his responsibility and making so many decisions was becoming overwhelming._ "I could really use some parental help now. Too bad they want nothing to do with me," _he thought saddened by the update Yzak's mother had given them.

He felt the doctor pat him on the shoulder as Miriallia jumped down to get changed behind the curtain. "You're doing fine son. These two beautiful women are in fine hands," he said with a smile and pinching Belle's cheeks to earn a giggle from her.

"I hope you're right," Dearka said feeling worried about the road ahead of him.

Miriallia stepped out from behind the curtain and looked at the two men. "Am I all set then?"

"Yes, I'll see you in a month for your check-up and make sure you call me if you have any problems between now and then. I'll send the results of her iron test back to the Voltaire by the end of the week and Dearka can pick it and her official inoculation records up whenever he has a spare moment," the doctor stated.

"Thanks doc," Dearka said grabbing his jacket and Belle's coat from the chair she had left it on when she had entered before her parents.

"Think nothing of it. It's my pleasure; I don't get to take care of the little ones the way I used to. I'm always stuck with you guys now and you're bigger babies than they are," he said with a wink.

"Hey, I don't recall crying or whining during the immunization," Dearka defended.

"Yeah, but you do tend to do your damnedest to avoid them every year. As I said, we all know you too well," the doctor replied shooing him toward the door.

Dearka and Miriallia headed to the shuttle bay with Belle in tow. Dearka had decided it would be easier to just hang on to her this time instead of letting her roam free the way she liked to do. He just wanted to get back to the Voltaire so he could think about what to do with the two of them in the near future. _"The doctor doesn't want her on the ship much longer, but how am I going to afford to keep them on the base or pay for all the medical bills she'll receive if I don't keep her on the ship,"_ he thought worried.

In the past few weeks of being together with her, he never once told her the situation with his parents or how he was flat broke. And he definitely didn't want her to contact her family at this point. He still wasn't ready to face the music with her father yet.

_"I can't ask Yzak to help me out this time. Asking him to pay for Miriallia and Belle is going a bit too far,"_ he thought.

"Hello, you in there?" Miriallia asked waving her hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" Dearka said snapping out of it.

"You look overwhelmed, is it because of the baby?" Miriallia inquired.

She had been so worried about everything else, like regaining her memory and taking care of Annabella that she hadn't for one moment stopped to think that Dearka, although excited, may be having a hard time digesting the fact that she was indeed pregnant for a second time.

"Yes, I mean no, not because of the baby. I'm just worried about taking care of you all," he said honestly.

Miriallia's eyes softened and she grabbed his head and pulled it to hers. She gave him a deep, long kiss earning an 'ewe' from Belle. Belle's reaction didn't faze either of them as they continued, the passion growing deeper between them. Belle began to push on their shoulders in an attempt to separate them, but failed miserably.

Dearka continued to kiss his beautiful bride-to-be and began to let Belle slip to the ground gently. When he heard her shoes tap on the ground, he released his grip from her and wrapped one of his arms around Miriallia dragging her closer. He was right where he wanted to be as he explored every region of her perfect mouth. His other hand ran down to her belly as he felt the little bump that was his second child.

When they finally parted they both heard Belle speak. "It's about time!" Hardly a phrase for a girl her age, but then she was advancing pretty quickly hanging around all of the off duty soldiers who enjoyed her company in the Rec Room. In fact, she may have been advancing a little more quickly than Dearka would have preferred.

"What was that for?" Dearka asked ignoring his daughter's comment.

"That was for thinking you needed to take care of all of us on your own. It was really sweet and romantic, but I don't want you to feel obligated to be the sole protector of our family. We're supposed to be a team remember, so whatever the problem is we can take care of it together," Miriallia reminded.


	9. Acquiescence

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 9**

Acquiescence

**Four months later…**

It was verbally silent on the bridge as the soldiers scurried around and computers beeped from recognition codes. Dearka stood by Yzak's side as he always did unless engaged in mobile suit combat.

Most of the time, Yzak preferred that personal conversations be withheld until after soldiers left the bridge, but being the Commander, he sometimes negated that rule when it came to him and Dearka.

Finally Yzak broke the silence and began whispering to Dearka in order to keep the conversation they were about to have somewhat private. "So, what are your plans now?" Yzak asked nonchalantly.

"I'm not sure yet. I promised her I would wait until she met with her parents again before anything else," Dearka informed him.

He stood there with his arms crossed while they continued to monitor the re-supplying progress of the Voltaire and Rousseau. In all honesty, he wasn't really in the mood to talk about it right now.

"Shouldn't you be bringing her home then? You've been hanging around here and haven't done anything yet and it's been months. Are you sure you really even want to get married?" Yzak asked.

"Of course I want to get married this isn't a stall tactic, but how can I? I don't have anymore time off, unless you're offering an extension. And when did you become so supportive about my relationship with her?" Dearka asked with a smirk.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm only offering because you won't be happy until you marry that girl not because I agree with your decision. And the only way for you to marry her is if she remembers the people most important to her, right?" he asked.

Dearka replied sincerely. "Yeah, so she says."

"Then the only way that will happen is if you take her back to Orb. She won't remember anything up here on the Voltaire," Yzak stated.

Dearka stood there for a moment contemplating Yzak's offer. _ "If I go back to Orb with her, I'll have to face her father again. That's definitely something I don't want to do, but I don't think I have much of a choice," _he thought.

Yzak began to become irritated at the silence. He had just given Dearka the opportunity he'd been waiting for to secure the woman of his dreams and he just stood there with a dumb look on his face.

After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime to him, he grunted. "Well?"

Dearka let out the breath he was holding in while thinking of the confrontation with Miriallia's father and answered his friend. "So when can I leave?"

"I would prefer if you waited until the re-supplying is complete and then the two of you can head out before we depart. It will save you the shuttle trip," Yzak replied.

Still Dearka wasn't up for taking the trip, but how could he turn down Yzak's offer? It wasn't like he would make another offer like this anytime soon. If given enough time he could even renege this one. But that didn't stop Dearka from pushing to make sure he wouldn't change his mind.

"You sure you can afford to let me do this?" Dearka asked.

"What, you think I can't run this ship without you continually badgering me?" Yzak said with a grin.

Dearka smiled back with a grin of his own. He knew full well Yzak was more than capable of handling the operations of the ship without him there; it was his temper that tended to be his downfall not his skills as a Commander.

"Well I guess you'll have it under control. After all, Shiho will keep you in line while I'm gone," Dearka said with one of his infamous remarks.

Yzak cringed at what he was about to admit to his friend upon hearing the mention of Shiho's name and then looked straight ahead to avoid eye contact. "Speaking of Shiho, you may want to thank her before you head out too. This is all her doing anyway."

Dearka let out a small laugh. "Guess she keeps you in line even when I'm around."

Yzak turned again to face his friend, his ice-blue eyes piercing through Dearka's amethyst ones. "Why don't you go tell your girl the plan and get ready? You can finish the last hour of your shift after you're organized."

"If you insist," Dearka replied at the seriousness in Yzak's eyes.

Yzak nodded before turning back to the monitors to continue the overlooking of the re-supply. Dearka stood there for a moment longer before deciding it was time to listen to Yzak's orders and floated toward the bridge doors.

He turned to take one last look at the bridge and his friend that commanded it as he waited for the doors to slip shut.

Dearka walked down the halls toward his room hoping Miriallia would be up for the trip. Lately she had been feeling very tired and extremely moody. He tended to bite his tongue a lot when she would leave an opportunity for a sarcastic comment. She really wasn't in the mood to find it as cute and playful as she used to.

As time passed with each other she had begun to remember more bits and pieces of her life together with him. She had finally realized she had truly been madly in love with him at one point.

Miriallia was the first woman he ever stuck by during an emotional rollercoaster. Any other woman he had been with in the past, he would practically throw his hands up in the air and walk away thinking they were just crazy. Her mood swings weren't helping much throughout her breakthroughs, but he stuck it out and had a bruise on his arm to prove it.

_"Who knew a Natural could be so strong when their adrenaline kicks in,"_ Dearka thought rubbing his arm.

Miriallia had a meltdown the night before with another one of her hormonal mood swings in full force. Dearka hadn't expected it to be as bad as it was and when he tried to calm her down, she had shaken free of his grip and twisted around so fast that the momentum from her freed arm swung around to bash his upper arm accidentally. His arm was beginning to hurt again just from the memory of it.

When he reached his quarters, he knocked softly and remained silent in order to hear her voice. He wanted to see what kind of mood she was in to find out how best to approach her about the trip. If she was feeling 'miserable and fat,' as she liked to call it when she would snap at him when she was in a bad mood and he asked her how her day was, he would have to think of a way to get her to venture off of the ship let alone out of his quarters.

Miriallia heard the knock as she placed Annabella in her crib. Her short brunette hair bounced when she lifted her head to look toward the door. "Who's there?"

The most beautiful sound in days rang from the inside of his room. A small smile and exhale of relief escaped Dearka's lips. "It's me Miriallia. Can I come in?"

She had a smile of her own now as she answered his call. "Of course you can come in. It's your room after all," she teased.

Dearka slipped in the door to another beautiful sound.

"Daddy's home," Annabella cried out with glee.

In a few short months the little girl had picked up even more new words. She was talking up a storm and becoming her own person. She was also getting so much bigger that it made Dearka feel fulfilled while he watched her grow in front of his eyes.

Then again, he technically never noticed that she actually got bigger until she could get something off higher shelves or items he placed further and further back from the edge of the desk. But nevertheless when he did notice it, he could see the changes she had made in leaps and bounds.

He was incredibly relieved that Miriallia was in such a good mood. _ "Now all I have to do is fill her in on the details, put our stuff together and then finish my last hour of my shift and we'll be on our way," _he thought still dreading the confrontation he was going to have with her father.

"You're back early. Did Yzak let you off for good behavior?" Miriallia joked.

Dearka laughed as he walked over to Annabella's crib. He leaned over and gently picked the reaching girl up into his arms. "It's something like that."

Leaving it open to curiosity, Miriallia took the bait. Her eyes glazed over warily as she watched Dearka holding Annabella close to him. "I'm listening."

"He thought we needed to get away together, just you, Belle, and me" he said softly as he nuzzled noses with Belle.

"He thought that, did he?" Miriallia said smirking.

"Okay, not quite that, but he wants us to be a happy family the way we were meant to be and to do that, you need to see your parents first so he's letting us go to Orb to see them for a little while," Dearka said never taking his eyes off of Belle.

Miriallia's face lit up, more lively than she had been in a long time. "I can go home?"

Dearka realized it was safe to look in her direction by the reaction she gave. His violet eyes gazed over to her and locked on with an intense passion and an ever growing seductive smile. "I told you I would do anything for you. You wanted to go home again and I made it happen, with Yzak's help of course."

Miriallia raised an eyebrow to him and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Of course," she replied sarcastically.

"All right, it was really Shiho's idea, and Yzak set it up. I had nothing to do with it, but I knew you wanted to go, so I didn't argue with him," he stated giving up the farce and telling her how things had really gone down on the bridge.

"See, don't you feel better when you don't lie to make yourself look good," she said smiling.

Dearka frowned and began to grumble. "Not really. If I was the hero I might have gotten…"

A stomp rang through the room as Miriallia's foot hit the ground and a scowl twisting the features of her face. "Not in front of Annabella!" she yelled.

Dearka cringed at her mood swing as he mentally kicked himself for raising her ire. "Sorry."

In an instant, her hostility ceased, a warning now falling from her lips. "It's all right, just don't do it again."

With the intention of not stirring up another emotional outburst he switched back to his serious mode. "All we need to do is get ready and then I'll finish my last hour on shift. When the re-supplying is complete, Yzak will let us disembark before the Voltaire heads out again."

"Why don't you toss what you want to bring for yourself on the bed and I can pack everything for us. That way you can get back to work and finish that last hour you said you have. Maybe if everything is going well and you are done with your shift, Yzak will change his mind and let us head out earlier than at the end of the re-supplying mission. You are pretty persuasive," Miriallia said wisely.

Dearka placed Belle down on the floor to allow her to run around and play. He then looked up with a look of uncertainty in his eyes. "I guess that could be a possibility."

"Hey I just put her down for her nap and now you've let her go free again," Miriallia huffed as Annabella began to wind herself up.

He chased her down and scooped her back up. It was just safer than to test Miriallia's mood. "Sorry honey."

After putting her back in her crib, he moved over to his closet and grabbed some clothes, as Miriallia turned to grab the bag Dearka had brought back with him so long ago. As she unzipped it to place a few of her new maternity clothes into it she saw something she had packed a long time ago.

_"I remember this outfit. I was planning on surprising Dearka with it when we got up here together. That was before…"_ her thoughts trailed off as memories of what had happened to her flashed in front of her eyes.

Violently she shoved it to the bottom of the bag and began to treat her new clothes the same way. Dearka had turned around to look at her and noticed the change in her demeanor. Risking another chance of bodily injury from her fury, he slipped behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her. His soft lips touched her neck and as if a switch had been hit, her anger was subdued.

"Do you want to tell me what that was about?" he asked with a whisper in her ear.

Her eyes fell with sadness. She didn't have the energy to explain what she was thinking or feeling at that moment. "I'm sorry, it was nothing."

He slowly moved in front of her and leaned down to kiss her lips. The passion between the two increased and she fell deeper under his spell. As their lips parted two of the most amazing things he had ever done interrupted their reconnection. His little girl pulling on the leg of his uniform and a gentle kick from his unborn baby against his lower abs.

"I think they're both trying to tell us something," he said with a smirk.

"Yeah, that you need to finish grabbing your stuff so we can get out of here as soon as possible," she smiled giving him another kiss on the cheek before pulling from his grasp, the anger she had felt before now completely disappearing.

"Wait a minute, didn't I put her in the crib?" he asked looking down at Belle standing there with a smile.

"Oh my gosh, she climbed out! There's no way I'll get her to nap anymore and I'm so tired!" Miriallia cried feeling defeated.

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out later. Let me just go finish my shift and then I can take her to the Rec Room so you can get some rest before we head out," Dearka said making their thoughts of leaving earlier if Yzak was in a good mood null and void.

"I think she would really like that," she said with a smile.

"And I can already tell you most of the off duty soldiers will love it too. Every time I go in there they ask me why I didn't bring her with me. She's the hit of the ship and she's really bossy too. I wonder where she gets that from," Dearka said looking down at Belle with a laugh.

Miriallia knew he was being sarcastic and describing her own bossy-ness. She had been ordering Dearka around like her servant for months now. "You put me in this situation, so now you have to pay the price."

"Yeah but half the time you have me running around like a madman in an attempt to keep you even the slightest bit sane," he said mocking her.

Another scowl came across her face as she moved closer to him threateningly. He slipped with his comment and was about to regret it unless he could come up with an apology that would appease her temper. "It was a joke, I swear! There's nothing I love more than making sure you're happy and comfortable."

The fake smile he flashed didn't convince her in the least. She swatted at him playfully as Dearka backed away pretending she was hurting him and almost tripping over Belle who was still attached to his leg.

"Watch it mister, or I'll hit you harder next time," Miriallia replied jokingly.

He shook Belle off his leg and finished tossing his stuff onto the bed in order to get back to his shift as Miriallia had suggested.

"Still, she must be really cute when you take her down there. She can't stop babbling about it when she gets back before you go on shift," Miriallia said now folding some of the clothes Dearka had tossed on the bed with more gentleness than she had shown her own.

"Why, doesn't she have fun when the two of you go down there?" Dearka asked curiously.

"She has a good time, but she doesn't get to boss people around when I'm there. I don't usually let her talk to people like that," Miriallia scolded him.

"Oh come on, she's almost two, none of them take offense to it. They think she's just adorable," Dearka replied.

"Still we should both be teaching her some manners. I don't want her to grow up spoiled," Miriallia said.

_"I don't think that's going to be a problem,"_ Dearka thought with the still looming money issue he was going to have when he finally sent Mir and Belle down to the base when they returned.

"I'm sorry, I'll make sure to not let her torture them too badly this time. You sure you can handle packing everything?" he asked changing the subject.

"Yes, just go and hurry back so you can take Belle and give me a small break," she replied.

Dearka slipped next to her and gave her another kiss before heading out the door. He couldn't wait to be alone with Miriallia and Belle and go on a trip like a real family does. Although, he could do without one of the people he was being forced to visit.

_"Here's hoping all goes well,"_ he thought making his way back to the bridge.


	10. Remembrance

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 10**

Remembrance

Dearka sat on the shuttle; Belle in his lap while Miriallia leaned gently on his shoulder. She was excited and nervous all at the same time finally remembering everything about her life, including her parents, and was happy to be at Dearka's side.

The only problem was she knew her father wouldn't be so happy and that they were all in for quite the lecture. Her eyes gently closed as she began to reminisce about the last time she and Dearka were at her home.

**January 17, CE 74**

"I want to show you something," Miriallia said with a spark flashing in her deep blue eyes.

"Is it anything I'll like?" he asked already knowing what she was up to.

"Follow me," she ordered without answering his question, the devilish smile he was known for rubbing off onto her features.

She slipped upstairs, Dearka hot on her tail and he eased closer with every step while imagining all the things he wanted to do to her. Even from this distance, her eyes drew him in, sparkling with intelligence and sensual secrets when she looked over her shoulder as if to tease him.

As they reached her bedroom, he watched as she began to shrug off her top revealing the black and red silk bra she wore that barely contained her breasts. The matching, high-cut panties accentuated her legs, making her look sexier than he'd expected.

She was quite the little seductress and far from the conservative woman he had thought he met on the Archangel so long ago, which suited him just fine.

He moved in toward her and began to run the back on his hand down her spine. Pulling her away from the wall and into his chest, she swung her arm around his neck behind her. When she was secured against him, his hand began to graze over the side of her gorgeous body.

She twisted around to meet his gaze and dragged him back against the wall with her. Their lips connected and the passion between them sparked and caught fire. He could taste her sweet breath as another incident of the most inconvenient thing happened.

She pulled her head back in shock as he looked down at his belt. The noise that had erupted had startled her a bit. Seeing it couldn't possibly be anything of importance, he grabbed the device and threw it on the nearby dresser.

"I've got to remember to turn that thing off when we do this," he mumbled. "Are you all right?"

"I just bumped my head a little against the wall. I'm okay. I shouldn't have thrown my head back so far."

He kissed her lightly on the mouth. "It's my fault. I'm sorry. Totally broke the mood, didn't it?"

She nodded and then shrugged indicating it was no big deal.

"Lie down on the bed, and I'll make it up to you," he said tugging at her hand to guide her where he wanted her to be.

She crawled onto the mattress and relaxed as Dearka sat down beside her. "You are so beautiful."

His gaze roamed down her now almost naked body.

With an inviting smile, she grasped his wrist. "Come down here with me."

He guided her arm above her head, out of the way, and leaned down to kiss her. His lips lightly grazed hers, and then he swept his tongue across her bottom lip.

She opened for him, and he delved inside. He released her wrist to allow the freedom to shrug off his jacket while Miriallia worked on unlatching his belt. Their motions were fluent and swift with an apparent desperation for one another.

The passion between them was raw and unadulterated as they ripped the sheets back. His fingers intertwined in hers and he forced her down onto the bed. She playfully fought his grip on her as their lips pressed against one another.

"Dearka I want you now!" she begged, her heart hammering.

The needy sound in her voice made him crazy. His heart expanded. With this woman, their joining was more than physical like the many before her had been. She was different; she was his life, his soul. He heard her cry out on last time before falling limp beneath him from sheer exhaustion.

"I take it you enjoyed that," he said with a smile.

Miriallia blushed from the comment. She had never been that bold in her entire life, but for some reason, she couldn't hold back from him any longer.

"That obvious huh?" she asked through her breathlessness.

"Just a little," Dearka teased using his pointer finger and thumb to represent the small amount.

The smile he had placed on her face didn't dissipate from his teasing as it normally did and for that he was thankful.

_"I really did do a number on her this time,"_ he thought proud of himself.

"What are you thinking?" Miriallia asked noticing him deep in thought.

Dearka dropped down to the side of her and wrapped his arms around her waist before answering.

"It's nothing important," he replied hoping she wouldn't delve any deeper.

Miriallia looked at him suspiciously as she continued to regain her composure from their little romp. Her eyes darted around the room she had been away from for only a day before falling victim to her own thoughts.

"She's going to be all right. I promise you, we'll get her back safe and sound," Dearka said reading the look on her face.

"I know we will. I wish your fiancée would just return her without a fight," Miriallia said with a dig at Dearka's predicament.

"Ex-fiancée," he replied with a hint of irritation.

Miriallia looked away toward her window avoiding his gaze on her. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable from the silence and the last thing he wanted was to upset her again, especially after another wonderful erotic encounter with her.

"You know, technically she's not your ex-fiancée yet. That doesn't happen until you tell her that yourself," Miriallia stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sure she knows its coming. She wouldn't have pulled a stunt like this if she didn't realize the inevitable," he answered.

"Hmm…" Miriallia hummed to herself as she fell deep into thought again.

Dearka was now feeling even more uncomfortable than he had when she was silent. "What?"

Miriallia looked over to him once she realized what they had done again. "You know, you are actually a two-timer and maybe I should rethink this future relationship because you may end up cheating on me too after a while."

Dearka's eyes widened in shock from her accusation and his mouth gapped open.

"You've got to be kidding me! You can't seriously think that I would…"

"I was just teasing you Dearka. I know you wouldn't cheat on me. But it was fun to see the look on your face though," she said with a devious smile.

As she began to giggle at his reaction, she felt him roll on top of her and hold her down against the bed again.

"I'm thinking I'll have to make sure you know that I'll never cheat on you or leave you for that matter," he said with a smirk.

"And how do you think you're going to do that," she coaxed.

Another exuberant moan exited her lips as Dearka took control of her once again. He knew she wouldn't be able to last long, but intended to make her enjoy every sensual moment between them.

**Present…**

"Miriallia?"

She felt a light tapping on her shoulder and her eyes slowly opened to see the young man she had just been dreaming about next to her.

"Yes?" she asked in a slight daze.

"We've landed," he replied twisting his head to the side as he gauged her condition.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I must've fallen asleep. I hope Annabella wasn't any trouble for you the whole trip," she said now noticing their little girl in his arms.

"Uh, no, she slept the whole way too. It must have been some dream about me though," he stated as he handed Belle over to her.

"What do you mean?" she asked sounding concerned.

Dearka grabbed their bags before helping Miriallia up with Belle. "From the smile on your face and the way you blushed when you opened your eyes to me."

"I didn't blush and you're wrong if you think I was dreaming about you!" she cried in irritation.

"Sure it wasn't," he said with a smirk.

Miriallia's eyes widened when she realized how he must have really known the dream was about him.

"What did I say? Was it that bad?" she asked squeezing her eyes closed in embarrassment.

"Let's be thankful you're not that loud when you talk in your sleep and that no one else could hear you," he answered.

Her eyes opened again as she looked upon his stunning features. He was without a doubt a strong and handsome man and she noticed a few of the women exiting the shuttle looking him up and down.

"Humph," she said stomping her foot.

"Hey don't take it out on me. I'm not telling them to look at me," he stated.

Miriallia put Annabella down and took her hand to help her walk out of the shuttle. As she reached the door, Dearka made a final comment.

"Besides, I told you I'd never cheat on you. You said so yourself."

She turned around with another look of embarrassment to see him smirking at her. She began to squirm under his stare before turning around and heading out the shuttle doors.

"I hate you!" she said jokingly.

"I love you too," he replied catching up to her and wrapping his arms around her making some of the women that had been sizing him up hopes drop.

When she stopped moving from his grasp she felt him lean into her and kiss her neck gently. She began to melt from his touch before feeling Annabella pulling at her hand.

"Let's go!" Annabella begged.

"I think she's telling us something," Miriallia indicated.

"Yeah, that it's time to bring you home and face the music with your parents."

Dearka no longer sounded like himself as he realized he would soon have to face the one person he didn't want to. Sounding off to his family was one thing, but doing it to Miriallia's family was another. And he had no clue what type of mood Miriallia would be in thanks to her pregnancy. For all he knew, he could get in a fight with her father and she would defend him and make Dearka feel guilty for attacking him.

Then again, she could be on his side and yell back at her father the way she did the last time they had to stand up to him. It was anyone's guess how she was really going to react. Dearka made his way to the rental counter in order to get them to her home. He was sure by now Mrs. Haw had Miriallia's car picked up and brought back to the Estate, so there was no need in looking for it. In no time, they were on their way toward her family's home.

**50 Minutes Later…**

"Are you going to press the button, or should I?" Miriallia asked exasperated.

"I will, hang on a minute," Dearka snapped back.

"Well, we've been standing here for five minutes. Are you planning on doing it anytime soon? Perhaps before I have the baby?" she mocked.

"You're just cruel," Dearka answered his nerves showing.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Miriallia shrieked pushing by him and hitting the button.

Dearka's eyes closed in terror when he heard the bell ring on the other side of the door. He was hoping Mr. Haw wouldn't be home once Miriallia hit the button. Hearing the door begin to open, he cracked his eyes slowly.

No such luck, there standing in front of him was the one person he didn't want to see. The lion himself staring straight at him with a cross look on his face.

"Daddy!" Miriallia cried happily.

"Miriallia, you're safe! And Annabella too," came an unfamiliar sound from the man.

Was it happiness? Did he not realize Miriallia's condition? Maybe he was off the hook. But wait a minute; it was more than obvious that Miriallia was pregnant again.

_"What's going on here?"_ Dearka thought in confusion.

As Mr. Haw let go of his daughter he looked back at Dearka again making him squirm under his glare.

"You, inside now," Mr. Haw ordered seething.

Ah, there it was. He was waiting to show his daughter how happy he was that she was safe. He had no intention of letting Dearka off that easily for bringing her home pregnant. Although to be precise she had already been pregnant when she was home the last time and then it hit like a ton of bricks.

_"Mrs. Haw knew and that's why she was looking at me like that. That must have been what they had been up to the night Miriallia was sick at dinner,"_ he thought while obeying Mr. Haw's order.

He moved inside with the bags and herded Belle through the foyer so he wouldn't trip over her. Before he knew it, Mrs. Haw was on top of them. She had grabbed hold of both Belle and Miriallia and in a matter of moments wrapped herself around Dearka, almost as if she was becoming his shield from Mr. Haw.

He heard a small whisper and his eyes softened. She was still trying to help him after all this time.

"You have no need to worry, I'll take care of him for you," the soft voice sang.

Dearka felt more comfortable now from her words and finished dropping the bags on the ground as she released him.

"Meg, please bring Annabella's bag to her room and put the others in Miriallia's room," Mrs. Haw ordered.

"Oh hell no!" Mr. Haw yelled.

They all turned to see him red in the face making Meg stop in her tracks.

"There's no way that boy is staying in Miriallia's room!"

"Meg please do as I requested. The rest of you, in the living room please," Mrs. Haw asked shooing them out of the foyer.

Dearka could feel Mr. Haw's eyes painfully burning through him. It wasn't like he suggested he stay with Miriallia but he would be the one to regret it.

"Miriallia, how are you feeling dear?" Mrs. Haw asked ignoring the tension between the men.

"I'm feeling good. I can't wait for these last eight weeks to be over with. I'm starting to get tired of being this big," she stated.

"Don't!" Mrs. Haw said without even looking at her husband.

She knew exactly what he was thinking and the last thing she wanted was another scene in their household over Dearka and Miriallia's relationship.

"You know, if it's going to be a problem, I can just stay at a hotel or something," Dearka offered hoping to get out of the house as soon as possible.

"That sounds like a great idea. Better yet, why don't you just return to the PLANTs now? You've done enough damage to my family," Mr. Haw said loathingly.

"Last time I checked Miriallia was part of my family the moment she had Belle," Dearka shouted back.

"That's enough! Dearka you are not staying at a hotel and he is not going to return to the PLANTs unless his family is with him and that includes Miriallia. I'm tired of this prejudice you have against him just because he's a ZAFT soldier and the circumstances that led to Annabella."

"And don't forget the newest disaster," Mr. Haw said making Dearka's eyes fall.

"Cut it out, you're acting like a spoiled child. Miriallia loves him and he's the father of both her children. He will stay in her room by her side where he belongs and you will not say another word about it!" Mrs. Haw yelled.

Almost everyone in the room was in shock at her affirmation. Well, everyone except Miriallia who had been used to hearing her mother speak with such conviction with the many mother-daughter conversations they'd have.

Dearka sat still and waited for someone else to speak first after Mrs. Haw finished reaming her husband. And finally he heard it.

"Well, speaking of staying by my side. We have some news for you. We're getting married," Miriallia said grabbing Dearka's hand.

She looked so happy and almost angelic the way the excitement danced in her ocean blue eyes. Dearka relaxed some that she had brought it up so soon. It signaled to him that she really wanted this too now.

"So how does your fiancée feel about that?" Mr. Haw mocked Dearka's former situation.

"I think she sounds excited," Dearka said with a smart remark back.

Mr. Haw squinted in anger at the blatant obnoxious comment from his soon to be son-in-law. Feeling the tension rising again Mrs. Haw spoke up.

"That's wonderful news. Have you two done any planning yet?" she asked.

"Well not exactly, I kind of wanted to wait until I have the baby. I really want to wear a gorgeous gown when I'm not so big," she said sadly.

"Just don't wear white," Mr. Haw said folding his arms across his chest.

Finally Mr. Haw had set Dearka off. He had been getting angry at Mr. Haw's attitude. But now attacking his own daughter, which he felt was uncalled for, pushed him over the edge.

"You know making those comments to me is one thing. I can take it, but don't take your anger out on Miriallia. She doesn't deserve that and especially doesn't need to hear that from her own father right now," Dearka snapped.

Miriallia's eyes had filled with tears over her father's words. She knew he would say something to her about the situation before long, but she didn't think he would attack the two things she was truly happy about.

"You know what, if you can't be polite then go somewhere else. I'm done fighting with you about our daughter's decisions. She is an adult and can do as she pleases," Mrs. Haw scolded.

Mr. Haw sat there for a minute longer feeling everyone's eyes upon him. He had become so irritated from the looks that he stood up and headed toward the stairs.

"I'm going to lie down. This has all given me a headache. And he's still not sleeping in her room!" he said as he walked away.

"Yes he is! Now go away!" Mrs. Haw yelled back.

Once Mr. Haw was out of sight, Mrs. Haw looked back at her guests. She looked relieved to see Miriallia in person. Speaking with her on the phone hadn't been good enough for her and she wanted nothing more than to spend time with her daughter.

Dearka let out a slight yawn as he sat there quietly. He had been so busy on the ship and taking care of Miriallia and Belle that he never realized how tired he really was.

"It was a long trip, wasn't it?" Mrs. Haw asked Dearka.

"Hmm, oh yeah, it was," he replied a little dazed from the exhaustion.

"He's been amazing mom. As I'm sure you can remember; I wasn't always the easiest person to get along with in this condition and now is no different," Miriallia said singing his praises.

"After what I saw last time, I wouldn't expect any less of him. Why don't you head upstairs and lay down for a while. You'll probably need your strength for when your soon to be father-in-law wakes up," she said with a smile.

"Uh, you don't mind do you Mir?" he asked cautiously before taking her up on the offer.

"No, go ahead. She's right. You need to rest. You've been working so hard lately and I've done nothing but nag you since my memory returned," Miriallia answered giving him a kiss on the cheek.


	11. Us

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 11**

Us

Dearka stood from his seat and headed up the stairs. As he walked into Miriallia's room he saw someone waiting for him. "What do you want?"

The annoyance in his voice was evident as he moved toward his bag that Meg had brought to the room. He no longer cared about one of the most basic rules of humanity, 'be kind to your elders.'

Dearka felt the man rush him and they both hit the wall. Dearka cried out in anger, "what the hell is your problem!"

"I told you before I wanted you out of my daughters' life and I wasn't joking," Mr. Haw's gruff voice came.

Miriallia, Annabella and Mrs. Haw all heard the loud thud coming from the room above them. As Miriallia and her mother jumped up to go upstairs, Meg entered the room.

"Meg, please watch Annabella for us," Mrs. Haw ordered as she and Miriallia move quickly up the stairs.

"I wouldn't do this if I were you," Dearka warned.

"Well you're not me, are you?" he yelled.

"Daddy, let him go!" Miriallia cried when she entered the room.

"Oh my God, what do you think you're doing?" her mother screamed.

Dearka felt the pain as he was being forced against the wall again and began to get angrier. Although, he was more irritated at the fact he hadn't seen it coming than that it had happened at all.

_"Some top soldier I am, maybe it was better I lost that rank,"_ he thought at his stupidity for letting his guard down.

"I want this guy out of our home. I don't want him anywhere near our daughter or thanks to him, grandchildren!" he hollered.

Miriallia now had tears streaming down her face. "Daddy please stop!"

"You had better let me go," Dearka gave one last warning.

"Oh yeah, and why is that?" Mr. Haw demanded.

"Because I could kill you with my bare hands you moron!" Dearka threatened.

He felt the grip on his shirt loosen and was knocked back into the wall, but this time it was Miriallia rushing into his arms. He looked down on her with a small smile indicating he was all right, Miriallia looking relieved.

"Get out," Mrs. Haw said softly making everyone turn to see if they had heard her correctly.

"What?" Mr. Haw questioned in confusion.

Mrs. Haw turned her back on the three of them. "I said get out! If you aren't going to treat them with respect then I want you out of my house."

"And where is it you'd like me to go?" he yelled.

"I don't care where you go. Maybe you can ask your sister if she'll take you in, but knowing how rude you are to HER husband, I'm sure that won't be an option either," Mrs. Haw stated and then headed out the door without even looking back.

"Now look what you've done! Ever since you met my daughter, my family has been ravaged by you," Mr. Haw said through gritted teeth.

"Don't blame me for your inability to adapt to change," Dearka said in his authoritative voice.

Miriallia hugged him tighter and buried her tear stained face into his shirt. As Dearka watched Mr. Haw leave the room, he lifted Miriallia's head up. "I'm sorry that I threatened your father. I know you love him regardless of what he says or does."

Dearka could understand that all too well. Even though his parents had beaten him down, he still loved them and he knew they loved him also. Miriallia sighed and released her grip on Dearka before walking to the bed.

"It's okay. He didn't leave you much of a choice. Why don't we just lie down together, if you feel up to it, I could maybe make it up to you," she said with a small smile gracing her features.

Dearka didn't argue as he closed the door to her room and hit the lock. He had waited a long time to be with her again. And it felt right to start their life off from where it taken pause thanks to the EAF. Neither of them wasted any time as they got on the bed.

"Are you sure this is okay though?" he asked cautiously.

"It's safe. Nothing will happen to the baby so don't worry," she said calming his nerves.

"That's not really what I meant," he said nodding his head toward the door.

"Oh," she realized knowing what he was talking about.

"It's not that I don't want to, but after what just happened I'm not so sure it's such a good idea," he finished.

"It's fine, we're getting married and having another baby. It's not like my mother doesn't know we're having sex and my father just has to deal with it," she replied.

With that said, he gratified her every desire and his as well. The two felt as though they had never been apart and when it ended they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

**A Few Hours Later…**

Dearka woke up and gently moved out of Miriallia's embrace. He didn't want to leave her arms, but felt he needed to see if things were all right with her mother whom he assumed had been watching Belle while they were upstairs.

Grabbing some clean clothes from his bag and changing into them he watched Miriallia roll from her side and onto her back again. She was so adorable carrying the new baby that it made him smile.

He headed out the door and looked back for a moment to stare at her beautiful figure. "How did I get so lucky?"

Dearka noticed the master bedroom door open but saw nobody inside making him nervous that Miriallia's father was roaming around somewhere in the house just waiting to pounce and torture him some more. He walked down the stairwell and saw Belle playing with all her old toys on the floor in the living room.

The sight brought another smile to his face and he couldn't believe how perfect she was and soon he would get to experience what it must have been like to watch Belle as a baby.

_"Well there's no sign of him down here, I guess I'm safe for now,"_ he thought making his way into the living room.

Mrs. Haw looked up from her book and smiled at the young man making an entrance. "Did you sleep well dear?"

Dearka blinked with an innocent look on his face before answering. She was such a nice woman and he was really happy that he would get someone like her as a mother-in-law.

"Yes I did, thank you," he replied as he sat on the ground to play with Belle and her blocks.

"This little girl is going to be an engineer or an architect the way she plays with those blocks," Mrs. Haw stated while looking back down at her book.

"Daddy, please play with me," Belle said looking up at him.

"Sure Belle," he said softly grabbing a block and helping her build the castle she was working on.

Dearka looked around the room and out into the foyer when he hadn't heard any other sounds coming from the home. Mrs. Haw looked up from her book and noticed his concern.

"He's not here anymore. He went to stay with his sister. I'm surprised she even allowed him to go there when he called her earlier. I was going to let him stay, but he heard you and Miriallia and I had to kick him out before he did something inappropriate again," she said.

"You heard us?" Dearka asked with the look of horror in his eyes and the embarrassment evident on his cheeks.

"Old house and thin walls," she said with a grin.

Dearka buried his face in his hands forcing Belle to pull at his arms to get him to play with her again. "Daddy, keep building please."

He let his hands fall from his face slowly and began helping Belle with her project again trying to avoid the stare he felt from Mrs. Haw. "I'm really sorry about that. We shouldn't have…"

"Oh don't be ridiculous. It's none of our business what the two of you do behind closed doors. You're both adults now and you're getting married after all," Mrs. Haw said moving her eyes back down to her book.

He still felt uncomfortable knowing she had heard them in bed together. It was probably the last thing any parent wanted to know about. Even though they knew it was happening, it was better if they didn't know when it was happening.

"Mr. Haw must be even more thrilled with me now," Dearka said feeling defeated.

"You did well the last time you were here, but I can't say that Miriallia's condition wasn't going to make him change his mind about you. I know you were starting to grow on him a little. Especially after you left to search for Annabella and Miriallia because of some of the things he said after you left.

But now, I honestly can't lie to you and say that he is going to accept you as part of the family anymore. He forgets that he and I were no better when we were your ages, but that doesn't matter to him. The fact is you and Miriallia are still not married and you are still and always will be a Coordinator and a ZAFT soldier, two things he's not too fond of."

"I'm no better than he is," Dearka admitted.

Without anyone realizing it, Miriallia had come down the stairs and into the foyer pausing when she heard Dearka speaking with her mother.

"How so?" Mrs. Haw inquired.

"Even now I'm not too fond of Naturals. To tell the truth you and Miriallia are the only ones I feel comfortable around. I can't even imagine having to live among them all the time and that's one of my biggest fears that Miriallia will ask me to leave ZAFT and move here to Orb. I don't know what I would do then," he replied.

Upon hearing his confession, Miriallia walked through the doorway. Her mother looked up and greeted her with a smile on her face.

"Hello sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" she asked her daughter.

"Yes I did, but I was wondering what happened to my partner in crime," she said with a smirk.

"Oh for the love of… You knew they could hear everything?" he snipped at her.

"Where's dad?" Miriallia asked avoiding the question.

"He went to your Aunt's. He'll be back in a few days once he's calmed down a bit so it's just the four of us until then," her mother replied.

Dearka was red in the face from the embarrassment that overtook him again along with the annoyance that his fiancée had set him up for this kind of humiliating situation on purpose. Miriallia noticed the look on his face and laughed at him.

"Stop looking at me like that. You can't deny that you didn't enjoy it," she said teasing him.

"No, he can't deny that," Mrs. Haw chimed in.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on when I'm around the two of you? Are you both going to gang up on me and make me feel awkward?" he asked awaiting their response.

"Yup!" they both teased him at the same time.

"That's just great, I'm never going to have a moment's peace," Dearka said moving his attention back to Belle and the castle.

"I heard what you said about Naturals. Did you really mean it? Do you really think you wouldn't be able to live on Orb?" Miriallia asked in all seriousness.

Dearka stayed silent for a moment as he contemplated how to answer her question. She was in a very fragile state and he didn't want to upset her more than he had to.

"I'm not really sure. I would prefer not to live here if I had a choice. But I guess the question is do I have that choice?" he asked turning it around to her.

Mrs. Haw stood up and headed out of the room. "This sounds like a conversation that you two need to have alone."

Miriallia looked down at the floor and sighed in discontent. "Of course you have a choice. I was just hoping you would consider leaving ZAFT and moving here."

Dearka stood up from his spot with Belle and made his way to the sofa after Mrs. Haw exited the room. He knew it was going to be a long conversation and the floor was honestly not that comfortable.

"The PLANTs are all I know sweetie. And there isn't much else I can do but be a soldier," he answered.

Miriallia's eyes filled with tears as she held on to her hope for a future with Dearka on Orb. "Of course there are other things you could do. You could work for Orb as a pilot or even as a mobile suit developer. Or you could just stay home with the children and I could become a photographer again."

"Uh-uh," Dearka said shaking his head. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back into the couch with a sour look on his face.

"But why not?" Miriallia begged for an answer.

"Because I would be betraying the PLANTs by using my knowledge on the internal workings of the ZAFT mobile suits to help Orb. I also refuse to fight against my home if it came down to it again. I know you can relate to that. And to top it off, there's no way I'll let you work in such a dangerous job again. Or have you forgotten being a war photographer is what almost got you and Belle killed the first time around?"

"So what are you saying? I just shouldn't work?" Miriallia asked with a dangerous tone to her voice.

"I never said that Mir. I just said I didn't want you doing anything dangerous again," Dearka said cautiously with the realization that her mood had severely changed on him.

"But it's okay for you to do something dangerous?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I…"

He was stumped and didn't know what to say to that. She trapped him with his own words and he was afraid that his response would send her over the edge. Miriallia tapped her foot on the ground while waiting for his answer.

"I hope you're not thinking its okay because you're a man," Miriallia warned.

"No! That's not what I meant. Stop putting words in my mouth Mir. I don't know what to say to appease your temper right now. It may sound wrong but I've been raised to believe that a man should take care of his family. You, Belle and that baby are my family and I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep you guys safe and happy, even if it means risking my own life."

"Dearka, you don't have to risk your life for us and we are already happy just having you with us. I don't know what I would do if I lost you again so I'm begging you to consider leaving ZAFT for me and for our children," Miriallia said.

Dearka could feel the walls closing in around him. He loved what he did and had no intention of leaving. He went through hell to stay with ZAFT and even took the demotion with grace and dignity. He was proud of who he had been and who he was becoming, but now she wanted him to give all that up.

"And what difference would it make if we moved to Orb and I worked for the Orb military? I'd still be in danger and then I really might be forced to fight against the only home I've ever known," he reasoned.

Miriallia hadn't thought of it that way when she suggested the job possibility. All she was thinking was what he could do so they could live happily in her home country. She hadn't been gone long, but she missed the feeling of the Earth's gravity as it enveloped her entire body. There was just something about feeling your feet firmly on the ground that made her feel stronger ever since Heliopolis' destruction two years prior.

"I don't want to go back there, Dearka. I want to stay here with you and the children. I want to be near my family and my friends and I want this new baby to have all the things Belle had when she was born, a place to call home and people who love him or her surrounding them," Miriallia said with fallen hopes.

Dearka looked up at her from where he was sitting the worried look setting across his features. How was he going to convince her now? She made it perfectly clear what she wanted and it wasn't the same thing he wanted.

"Look, let's not get worked up over this right now. We're here for a week and we can discuss this later when Belle is in bed and when we can both be more reasonable. A lot just happened since we walked through the door and I really don't have the energy to argue about this," he said praying she wouldn't bite his head off for the bold suggestion.

She stood there for a moment before answering him, pondering his proposal. "All right, we'll talk about this later if you promise to hear me out and not blow off the idea of living here all together."

Dearka nodded in agreement to her conditions and motioned for Miriallia to join him as he moved back to the floor with Belle. "You want to help us?"

"What are you two making?" Miriallia asked as she made herself comfortable next to Dearka.

"We're making a castle mommy," Belle answered clearly.

"A castle huh? I don't know how good my building skills are, but maybe I could place a block or two," Miriallia said in a soft motherly tone to her daughter.

The three of them continued to work with the blocks until dinner. After the peaceful gathering, Dearka and Miriallia helped Belle get ready for bed. Dearka walked into Belle's room first and realized Belle had grown a bit since she was there last.

"Uh-oh," Dearka said softly.

"What?" Miriallia asked following behind with Belle in her arms.

"Well, Belle grew quite a bit since she was here last. I don't think she will stay in the crib anymore. She'll try to climb out again like she did on the ship," he answered.

Almost as if on cue, Mrs. Haw entered the room with a booklet and screwdriver. "Well it's a good thing you're here then. Normally Miriallia and I leave all the construction work to Mr. Haw, but since he's not here, I'm sure you can figure it out," she said handing him the stuff.

"Figure what out?" Dearka asked confused looking at the stuff in his hands.

"This crib is a convertible silly," Miriallia said with a smile.

Sure enough as Dearka began to read the cover of the manual he realized he was being volunteered to fix Belle's bed for her. "Great now I'm being used for manual labor," he said with a smirk as he moved over to the crib and started reading the book in his hand.

"I'd let her stay on the daybed, but it's still a little too high off the ground in case she falls out of bed," Miriallia said as Dearka began working on the crib.

"That's okay, I'll figure this out in no time and she'll be fast asleep in a matter of moments," he said changing the settings on the soon to be toddler bed.

Miriallia watched as Dearka continued taking the crib apart and converting it. She had quite the little smile on her face from his willingness to do anything for his daughter and for her.

Once he completed the conversion, he helped Miriallia put Belle in to the toddler bed. He enjoyed watching Belle when she had firsts in anything and was so glad that soon he would get to experience it from the beginning with the new baby.

"Goodnight Belle," Dearka said kissing her forehead.

"Night, night daddy," Belle answered.

Dearka and Miriallia slipped out the door and flipped off the light after Miriallia said goodnight to Belle too. When the door shut Miriallia fell into Dearka's arms. "I'm so happy to be here like this with you and Belle. Can we talk about living here on Orb now?"

Dearka sighed in defeat and motioned for her to head toward her room. Once in the room he sat on the bed and pulled her down next to him. "I'll make a deal with you, if you let me continue to remain with ZAFT, I'll get us a place on both PLANT and Orb."

"You would really do that for me?" Miriallia asked with the smile lighting up her features.

"That does mean when we are staying here you would have to be working and when we were on the PLANTs I'd have to work. And that is also only if Yzak will authorize me as part time so don't get your hopes up yet," Dearka continued.

"Thank you so much Dearka! I promise I'll do whatever it takes for that to happen for us and I won't pressure you about it anymore," Miriallia said in delight.

"Now I have a favor to ask of you," Dearka said in all seriousness.

"Uh-oh, what could you need from me?" Miriallia asked in concern.

"I was thinking since Annabella was born here in Orb that maybe you would consider having our second child up in the PLANTs," he asked in an extremely careful tone in order to not startle or upset her.

"I… guess we could do that," she answered with slight uncertainty at the thought.

"Do you mean it? It would mean so much to me if you would have the baby up there. I can't even tell you," he said feeling ecstatic.

"Dearka I would do anything for you as long as you would do the same for me," Miriallia answered making any remaining insecurities of his disappear.

"Without a doubt, I would do anything for you," Dearka said wrapping his arms around her and dragging her down to the bed as they began to explore one another once again.


	12. Debut

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 12**

Debut

It had been almost a month since Dearka and Miriallia returned from their visit to Orb. Dearka had survived not only more verbal attacks from Miriallia's father once he returned home but her and her mother's incessant wedding planning. Part of him regretted telling her that they could live between the two worlds knowing he would have to deal with Mr. Haw on a more daily basis.

Another battle now raged in space as Miriallia lay comfortably in their bed. She had once again used the straps on herself and Belle in case of any sudden jolts from the dangerous battle outside.

During her last appointment with the doctor, he had told her it wouldn't be long now before the baby would be here and had suggested she make her way back to the PLANTs in order to be cared for properly.

Unfortunately, due to the war, Dearka wasn't able to leave yet and Miriallia had refused to leave without him afraid of what might happen if she and Belle were left alone in the midst of Coordinators who might not appreciate a Natural hanging around without an escort.

Next to her on the bed was a small pager Dearka had given her in case of an emergency. It had taken him a while to convince Yzak to help him out when he was in battle, but eventually he made his point forcing the commander to lend a helping hand.

Yzak reluctantly agreed to take care of her if any emergency arose while he was on the battlefield leaving Dearka to only hope that Yzak wouldn't need to join in at any point if an emergency occurred with Miriallia. He even went as far as making him promise not to run to their aide unless it was absolutely necessary.

_"Why do we all have to fight like this?"_ Miriallia thought as the ship rocked from another slight hit making her drag her knees up as close as she could with her rounded belly.

It had taken time, but she was beginning to be more like the Miriallia that Dearka had met during the first war. She had been a young woman who wasn't afraid to fight when necessary, but still couldn't understand why they had to fight in the first place. She had lost what she thought was the love of her life leaving her vulnerable to Dearka's advances.

**On the bridge…**

"Hard to port, raise bow twenty degrees! Evade it!" Yzak yelled at the crew on the bridge as they tried to avoid another shot fired at the ship.

Angrily his eyes narrowed at the monitor to decipher the best strategy to win. He had lost a few pilots in this battle and was beginning to become irritated that he wasn't out there fighting himself. Although he knew Shiho, Dearka and Ian were all out there and were extremely capable pilots, he still felt personally responsible for each and every loss their team felt on the battlefield.

**On the battlefield…**

"This is crazy!" Dearka cried avoiding another shot from oncoming fire.

"Look out!" Ian yelled shooting an enemy that had come up behind Dearka before he had time to react.

"We're completely outnumbered here," Shiho said with gritted teeth and a slight sound of panic in her voice.

Under most circumstances she could keep her cool, but this was different today. There were too many enemies surrounding them and they were losing friends left and right.

"Well I'm not giving up. Mir, Belle and Yzak are on that ship, there's no way I'm letting them get by me to take it down," Dearka said shooting down some more enemies.

"That's only if you pay attention to your rear sensors," Ian mocked to lighten the mood shooting some more enemies from his place diagonally in the distance.

"As long as you two have my back for the one or two unexpected pests, I'll keep them at bay," Dearka said with a smirk.

"I'm surprised one or two can even slip by the great Dearka Elsman, former pilot of the X103 Buster. You must be losing your touch," Shiho teased.

"I think he's getting old," Ian added to get another dig in.

"Yeah, yeah, if you two keep it up I'll let more than one or two slip by on purpose. Now do you guys have my back or what?" Dearka snipped in a playful manner.

Shiho and Ian nodded in agreement as the three split up zipping across the vastness of space in order to rid themselves of more enemies.

**On the bridge…**

Yzak squinted in anger at the monitor ahead of him as he continued to bark out his orders until he felt his belt shake. He looked down to see the device Dearka had given him in case Miriallia had needed something when he was in battle.

_"Oh just great, what could she possibly want?"_ Yzak thought while cringing.

For a moment he ignored it and continued to focus on the battle ahead of him, but much to his chagrin, the device never stopped vibrating. He looked over to one of his soldiers monitoring the space map and turned to her.

"Lily, take over for me. There's another emergency I need to tend to," he said the irritation lacing his voice.

He headed down the halls to the residential deck as quickly as his feet would take him. When he reached Dearka's door, he heard the most gut wrenching noises coming from the room. At that moment Yzak realized she wasn't calling for just any reason at all.

The door swished open revealing Belle crying and Miriallia in the bed screaming in pain. He raced over to her and grabbed his communicator from his belt buckle.

"Send the doctor to Lieutenant Elsman's quarters immediately," Yzak ordered now panic stricken.

"Right away sir," Marie's voice rang through the device.

"Hang on, the doctor's on his way," he reassured her.

Miriallia grabbed hold of Yzak as another wave of pain took over her. When she jerked from the spot she had been lying in Yzak noticed a crimson color staining the sheets.

"Oh my God, you're bleeding! What the hell is going on? I thought you weren't due for almost a month," Yzak stated fearful for his best friends girl.

"I'm…not," she said fighting through the tears.

The pain was almost unbearable and her tears kept flowing. Belle continued to cry in her bed. She was crying mostly because she was unable to move due to the restraints when she heard her mommy screaming and wanted nothing more than to be freed from the confines of the straps so she could get help for her mother.

_"What do I do? Should I get Belle or should I stay here?"_ Yzak thought, not knowing how to react to the situation.

It was the first time he had ever been through something like this and was beginning to feel like he never wanted to be in this position again. Although, telling that to Shiho might not go over too well after their long discussion about having a family in the future.

"Are you supposed to be bleeding like that?" Yzak asked her trying his best to stay calm for her sake.

"No!" she yelled practically biting his head off.

"But you've already been through this once," he said pointing at Belle still crying in her bed.

"Yzak that was over two years ago and I wasn't pumped with drugs during my first pregnancy!" she yelled at him again.

She realized what might be happening when she said that and began to hyperventilate. Her chest felt tight and her body was in excruciating pain. She couldn't catch a break in between the contractions.

"Please don't let me lose my baby," she said forcefully between breaths.

Yzak overheard her words and grabbed his communicator again. He was terrified by what was transpiring. He moved away from Miriallia in order to keep her from overhearing what was going on. He didn't want her to panic anymore than she already was, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Where the hell is the doctor Marie!" he yelled.

"Sir, he's on his way. He was tending to injured pilots when I called him for you," she replied calmly.

Yzak didn't even reply. He clicked the communicator shut feeling defeated. As he returned to Miriallia's side, he grabbed the pillows from where she had knocked them on the floor and gently placed them behind her back to give her something soft to lie back on in between the shots of pain.

"I have to get Belle, please just hang on for me," he replied softly trying to keep a low and even tone for her sake.

She breathed heavily through the contractions and shook her head that she understood. Her fingers gripped the bed as she attempted to hold on for dear life. The sweat was beading off her forehead and mixed with the salty tears on her cheeks.

Yzak got a hold of Belle and opened the door to Dearka's room. He saw soldiers running by and he yelled to one of them. "Hey get over here!"

The soldier stopped mid-step and ran back to his Commander.

"Sir!" the soldier saluted.

"Take this girl and head to the Rec Room. Keep her occupied for me," he ordered.

"But Sir…" he started to debate.

"That's an order! Whatever you were about to do, send it to another soldier to finish via communicator," Yzak stated.

"Yes Sir!" he said as he grabbed the little girl from Yzak's arms.

"E-yak," Belle cried as the soldier took her.

"I'll see you later little devil," he said to her as she swiped her hands in the air for him.

"Aaahhh…Uhhnnn…" Miriallia screamed unable to hold it back any longer.

"Mommy!" Belle yelled and began crying again.

"Go! Take her to the Rec Room now. Don't worry Belle; I'm going to take care of your mommy. I promise she'll be all right," Yzak said with a fake smile before the door swished closed between them.

Yzak ran into the bathroom to grab a cloth, running it under cool water. When he got back to Miriallia's side he gently patted her face and forehead with it. Her short brown hair was no longer in its' flipped style as the sweat had drenched the tips making them fall straight down with slight curls at the ends.

The ship shook again forcing Yzak to catch Miriallia in his arms. She was still having trouble breathing. He helped her lean back against the pillows again for the few moments of peace her body gave her to relax. In what seemed like no time though, her body tightened again as she did her best to breathe through the pain.

"Where…is…he?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"The doctor is on his way. He'll be here as soon as he can," Yzak assured her.

"No…o…where's…De…ar…ka!" she cried still fighting to make each sound.

"Uh, he's…I mean, he'll be here soon. I already called him back in," Yzak lied.

He didn't know what was going on outside the room and was afraid to call out to see. He didn't want Miriallia to hear how the battle was going outside.

_"Please let us get through this battle and this situation in one piece,"_ he thought.

He looked back down at Miriallia struggling through the contractions as they became closer together and in a longer duration.

_"God is this what women go through just to give birth?"_ he thought now feeling bad for the way he treated most of the women that worked around him.

He had no idea what they put themselves through in order to have a child. He was amazed at every ounce of strength Miriallia was showing in her attempts to keep herself calm through the ordeal; especially since in his eyes she was just a weak Natural girl. Finally, the door swished open revealing the person Yzak was waiting to see.

"How is she?" the doctor asked as he threw his bag down to the side.

"I…don't know. There was blood already on the sheets when I got here and she's been having contractions ever since," Yzak admitted.

"Blood?" the doctor asked as he looked at the sheets.

"Please…help us," Miriallia cried through her gritted teeth.

"Okay dear, I need you to focus for me. Concentrate on my face for a moment. Yzak get over here," the doctor ordered leaving formalities behind.

"Uh…why?" he asked feeling uncomfortable.

"Because I'm going to need your help, that's why," he replied shortly.

"I can't help. I wouldn't even know what to do," Yzak objected.

"You were an elite soldier once right? Then I'm sure you can take orders as well as you give them," the doctor stated in frustration.

"De…ar…ka!" Miriallia screamed through her contraction.

"Come over here and sit behind her and put your hands on her shoulders to give her some physical support. I want you to keep track with your watch at the time in between her contractions and the length they continue for," he ordered while digging through his bag.

Yzak felt utterly horrified at what was transpiring, but obediently did what the doctor ordered. As he remained stable for Miriallia's sake a wave of consideration swept over him. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"It's going to be all right. You're doing fine. I promise Dearka will be here soon," he said gently.

He could hear her sobs in between the contractions and a few more times his best friends name came pouring out of her mouth as she begged for him to get there. Before he knew it, he heard a sound he never thought he would be happy to hear. The soft sound of a new baby crying rang through the room.

Miriallia could barely move from the trauma her body had just endured and Yzak couldn't help but stare as the doctor worked on taking care of the baby.

"Wow," he said softly in awe.

In front of him was Dearka's child and he couldn't believe he was there for the whole thing. He knew as soon as Dearka got back from the battle, he would practically fall over from the shock of what they went through in his room while he was out defending the ship.

"Yzak…I need him…" Miriallia said gently before passing out.

The doctor finished up with the baby and brought it over to Yzak. Yzak stared at him with a clueless look on his face.

"You aren't seriously thinking of handing the baby over to me, are you?" Yzak asked the fear he had felt before now returning.

"Yzak, I need to tend to the mother. I don't have any assistants available. Remember they are all tending to your soldiers that were hurt in the battle. You need to hold the baby until I take care of her," he said handing the child out to Yzak.

"But I've never held a new baby before," he said sincerely.

"I trust you, Yzak," Miriallia said weakly as her eyes remained closed.

Yzak carefully put out his arms and scooped the tiny thing up. As he pulled the child closer he noticed a resemblance.

"You look just like your daddy too," he said softly.

As he stared at the baby, his communicator began to ring. He carefully reached for it on his belt and answered Marie's call.

"What is it Marie?" he asked shortly.

"Sir, the battle has ended and Lily ordered our forces to withdraw. Will you be heading back to the bridge soon?" she asked.

"No, have Lily continue to keep watch and send Dearka and Shiho down to his quarters," he ordered.

"And Ian," Miriallia asked of him.

"And Ian Randall as well please," Yzak finished.

"Yes Sir," Marie saluted and signed off.

"Am I allowed to leave the room with the baby?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, just don't go too far. I'm sure mom would like to bond with the little tike when she's all fixed up," the doctor said.

Yzak looked over in Miriallia's direction to see if she also felt that way. With a small smile, she nodded her head in allowance for Yzak to step outside the room. He moved out the door and stood quietly awaiting Dearka, Shiho and Ian.

"Hey Yzak! What's going on?" Shiho called running toward him from down the hall.

As Dearka moved lethargically down the halls with Ian, he noticed something. Both he and Ian looked at each other with a confused look.

"What's…he holding?" Ian asked.

Dearka's eyes flashed open in realization on why Marie ordered them back to his quarters immediately. He took off in a run to catch up to Shiho who was already looking down on the little baby.

"Oh, can I hold the baby?" Shiho said smiling at it.

"I think Dearka should hold her don't you?" he asked as Dearka stood there in shock.

An overwhelming sensation came over him as he reached out his hands for his new little girl. Gently he held her in his arms softly rocking her.

"She's perfect," Dearka said in a hushed tone.

"Sorry I couldn't greet you guys myself, but as you can see, I was pretty busy," Yzak said with a smirk.

"You helped!" Shiho asked stunned.

Dearka looked up at him, his eyes watery. He didn't even have the words to express his gratitude.

"Yzak…" Dearka started.

"Nah, forget it. Just go in there and see your other girl," he said with a smile.

"Do you want help?" Ian asked.

"You should stick around, she was asking for you too. Shiho, why don't you come with me and we can pick up Belle from the Rec Room. I sent her there with one of the men when I had to help," Yzak said proudly.

Yzak and Shiho headed down toward the Rec Room. Before they got too far, Shiho turned back around to call out to Dearka.

"Don't forget, I want to hold her too," she said with a wink.

Dearka stood there still in awe over the little life he had in his hands.

"She's so small," he said with Ian looking over.

"Can I hold her?" Ian asked cautiously.

He had worked so hard to get on Dearka, Yzak and Shiho's good side that he was completely devastated when he found out Miriallia was pregnant so many months ago. Although, he had no intention of giving up on her and especially not after some of the things she had told him when he transferred to the Voltaire.

"Yeah, I guess it's all right," Dearka said carefully handing her over to Ian.

"Who would have thought while we were out there fighting a battle, this little angel would make her debut," Ian said staring down at the sweet thing in his arms.

"I certainly didn't," Dearka admitted softly.


	13. Deliberately

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 13**

Deliberately

"I'm going in to check on Miriallia. Can you wait out here with her until I come to get you?" Dearka asked cautiously.

He had been more relaxed around Ian for the past few weeks, but still remained quite vigilant. Their relationship was almost back to the way it had once been. But it was still obvious to anyone that Dearka had been through a lot in the past couple of years. He wasn't so naïve to believe that people could change so easily. Especially those people who were associated with Cadey.

"Sure, no problem. Just call me when you want me to bring your daughter in," he replied with the sound of innocence dancing on his voice.

_"My daughter,"_ Dearka thought with a smile on his face as he entered the room.

He saw the doctor finishing up with Miriallia and stood there for a moment before moving any closer. Once he watched the doctor move away, he walked toward the bed where Miriallia was lying peacefully. She looked like an angel the way she was glistening.

"She had a tough time, but Yzak helped her through it until I was able to arrive. She will need to get to a hospital on PLANT still. She's a little worse for wear right now and needs better medical attention than I can provide on a war ship," the doctor stated.

"Yeah, thanks, I appreciate everything you've done for her," Dearka replied before kneeling next to her.

Miriallia's eyes fluttered open, the exhaustion still keeping hold.

"Hey there blue eyes," Dearka said forcing a small smile to escape her lips at the sight of him.

"Hey yourself," she said with a raspy throat.

"Been screaming a little?" he asked with a gentle tease.

"I'm glad you're here. I was worried about you," Miriallia said in earnest ignoring his blatant attempt to cheer her up.

Dearka stood from his position and sat on the side of the bed as he grabbed her hand. He continued to rub it gently as Miriallia fought off her urge to sleep.

"So, what did you name her?" he asked while brushing some strands of hair out of her face.

"I didn't. In fact, I haven't been able to hold her yet. But also I really want you to name her," she replied simply.

Dearka's eyes widened in confusion; unable to make sense of what she had just said. The whole time she was back with him, she informed him that she was going to name the baby and that he had no say whether it was a girl or a boy.

"You want me to name her? But I thought you said…" he started.

"Forget what I said. She's your little girl, there's no mistaking it. I may have had my doubts a few months ago, but I've remembered everything now. I know you're the one I'm meant to be with," Miriallia said sincerely.

"But I don't think I can name her," Dearka said overwhelmed.

"Why not?" Miriallia asked with a furrowing brow.

"What if she doesn't like her name? Then it will be my fault. Not to mention, I wouldn't even know what to name her," he said shyly.

Miriallia laughed gently at him.

"What's so funny?" he asked feeling offended.

"You are," she replied. She used the hand he had in his grasp to pull him closer to her. When they were face to face, she gave him a deep kiss. When they finally separated she spoke again. "Our daughter will love any name you give her. Now close your eyes," Miriallia said.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Just do it will you? And stop asking so many questions," Miriallia said with a laugh still present. It was almost as if she was infused with a second wind of strength.

"Fine," Dearka obliged.

As his eyes closed he felt Miriallia move closer to his ear. She began to whisper softly making a smile form on his face. "Now just think of her in your arms again. Look down on her and tell me who do you see," she said staying close enough for him to feel her breath on his neck.

"I don't know what you mean," Dearka said with honesty.

"Picture your little girl in your mind. Do you see her?" Miriallia asked.

Dearka began to concentrate and did as Miriallia asked. The smile on his face grew larger. "She's so small and beautiful," he said feeling at peace.

"Now tell me again, who do you see?" Miriallia asked.

"Nora," he said sweetly.

He opened his eyes to see Miriallia smiling at him. He couldn't believe it; the name had just slipped from his lips with no previous thoughts on the matter.

"I really like the name Nora," he repeated.

"Nora it is then," Miriallia said with a smile as sleep began to overtake her.

"Do you think she'll honestly like the name?" he asked sincerely.

"Of course she's going to like her name. Actually I'm sure she'll love her name," she said still smiling.

"Miriallia are you going to be okay for a little while?" he asked gently.

"Why, where are you planning on going?" she questioned as the small ounce of strength she had fought for escaped.

"I need to make arrangements for you and the girls on PLANT," he said standing from her bedside.

"You're coming with us though aren't you?" her voice panicked. She could already sense he had no intention of traveling with them and that terrified her.

He turned back to look at her giving her a reassuring smile. "You and Nora need better medical attention than you can receive here. You heard the doc yourself. I'll be there as soon as I'm able and I'll make sure you are well taken care of. You can trust me Mir."

"I know I can trust you, but with the chance of upsetting you, I don't trust them," Miriallia insinuated.

Dearka's head raised and his eyes glazed over with an insulted look. Although he couldn't blame her for how she felt because it was no different than he felt on Earth around so many Naturals, it was still harsh. "No one will hurt you. You've chosen to live your life with a Coordinator and you have two children that have some altered genes as well."

"But still, they may not look at it that way. How do you know there aren't Coordinators that think the way some Naturals do; that if you aren't 100% altered, you aren't a real Coordinator," she said sounding paranoid.

"Will you look at it a little more rationally than that please? Coordinators aren't like that. Our girls are more likely to end up as some of the first in a new wave of the future for Coordinators rather than being thrown aside as a disgrace. After all, we're no different than Naturals biologically. We want our genes passed down to the next generation by any means necessary the same way you do," he explained logically.

The doctor moved back to Miriallia and finished placing the IV on her in order to give her some more medication and fluids. "I'd listen to what he's saying. I think the two of you are on to something that other Coordinators will wish they had. It seems the ability to conceive children for the second generation is not as far out of our grasp as once believed. I'll bet your daughters have all the benefits of being a Coordinator and none of the disadvantages that have developed."

The doctor's explanation seemed to soothe Miriallia's nerves as she nodded her head toward Dearka to allow him to make the arrangements. Dearka let out a deep sigh of relief that she had finally given in. The most important thing at the moment was to make sure Miriallia and Nora were safe and healthy.

"Make sure you get that little girl down to PLANT as soon as possible. She's a little early and I want to make sure they do a full diagnostic to evaluate her condition," the doctor announced to Dearka as he began to exit the room.

"I'll have them down there within the hour," he replied saluting the doctor.

When the door shut between him and Miriallia, he turned to look at Ian standing there with his little girl still in his arms.

"So did Miriallia name her yet?" Ian asked.

"Not exactly. She let me name her instead." Dearka replied.

Dearka could see the disappointment in Ian's eyes and knew he still had feelings for Miriallia regardless of what he said. Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, he headed down the hall without looking back.

"Hey, where are you going? Aren't you even going to tell me her name?" Ian called curiously.

"Nah, I'll let Mir do that," Dearka said waving his hand in the air at him as if to brush him off.

Ian realized that was Dearka's way of giving him permission to see Miriallia. He thought it was a little strange for a moment that Dearka was walking away without taking the little girl back from him. He took a deep breath and turned to enter the room with the little girl now asleep in his arms.

"Ian…" Miriallia said softly still fighting the medication that made her feel even groggier.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked softly.

"Better now that the doctor gave me something for the pain," she said with her weak smile.

"Yeah, I'll bet you needed it," he answered smiling back at her.

"Where did Dearka go? I thought he was just going to make arrangements for me to transfer to the hospital. I didn't realize he was leaving completely," she said. Her head twisted back and forth as she looked for him.

The doctor came back over and took Nora from Ian's arms to free him of the tiny angel. "I just need to continue monitoring her until the two of them are transferred. I only let Yzak take her out of the room while I worked on her mom here," he stated with a wink in her direction.

"Oh yeah, sure, no problem," Ian answered as he sat on the bed and held Miriallia's hand.

It was an awkward moment for the doctor to be witness to. He knew full well the triangle that had occurred on the two ships and wanted nothing to do with it. Unfortunately he was stuck in the room watching Lt Randall make a fool of himself with another man's fiancée.

"Did Dearka tell you her name yet?" Miriallia inquired. She could feel the tension in the room rising and had decided to make idle chit chat until Dearka returned.

"No, he said I needed to ask you what her name is," Ian replied.

"I let Dearka name her," she began.

Ian could now sense the tension too and noticed the doctor shift uneasily while he tended to Nora. He wasn't naïve enough to believe the doctor didn't know what had been going on the past few months between all of them.

"He told me that, but then said I had to bring her in to you and ask you what he named her myself," Ian stated more to inform the doctor that Dearka had allowed his presence than to fill Miriallia in on what went on between them in the halls.

"Our new little girls' name is Nora," Miriallia said with her eyes shining brightly.

"Does she have a middle name yet?" Ian asked curiously.

"Oh no, I forgot about that…" Miriallia started sounding concerned.

_"Perfect,"_ Ian thought. He sat quietly for a moment before commenting again. He didn't want her to catch on that he wanted to help name her little girl, but he also had to make a move quickly before Dearka got back in time to object.

"Well Annabella's middle name is Miriam, right?" he asked.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" she questioned.

"I assume you gave her a twist from your name, so why not twist Dearka's name a little for Nora's middle name?" Ian said.

"Really, you think I should?" she said while falling deep into thought about the proposition.

The doctor continued to work rolling his eyes at what he was overhearing. _"Naturals are definitely naïve. If she thinks he's suggesting this for her benefit and not his own, she's sadly mistaken,"_ he thought.

"I don't even know how I could twist Dearka's name to fit as a middle name for a little girl. It was easy for me being a woman because I could take my name and flip it around some, but his is a little more difficult," she said still contemplating it.

"Well, I could help you if you want," he offered sounding harmless.

Miriallia's eyes lit up from the proposal. She was extremely happy that Ian was still being so friendly to her after all she had put him through. She had felt as though she was toying with his emotions a few months ago and now that she had settled her feelings, she knew he had been badly hurt by her decision. "Will you really?"

"Of course, now let's see, how can we change Dearka's name around?" he said more to himself than to her.

They sat in silence for a few moments until it hit. "I've got it, what about Deanna. It's close enough to Dearka and it will go so well with Nora," he said praying she would agree to it.

"Nora Deanna Haw, I mean Elsman," she corrected herself.

Before she could agree or disagree with him the door swished open to the room. "Okay, it's all set. We can go as soon as the airspace is cleared from the last battle. Yzak is going to let me take you two down there and get you all settled. Then I'm going to call in a favor from an old friend of mine to look after you until I can get back again," Dearka said clapping his hands together from the successful arrangements.

Miriallia looked up at him as he came closer to her, "don't you mean the three of us?"

"Well, not exactly. I think it's best if Belle stays here with me so that you have time to recuperate from everything. Plus my friend isn't going to want to watch over a two year old," he said in earnest.

"Hey are you going to tell him?" Ian asked pushing her into a decision about the middle name he had chosen for the baby.

"Oh right; sorry, I picked out a middle name for Nora while you were gone. I hope you don't mind," Miriallia said.

"Of course not, why would I mind? I'm sure whatever you picked is perfect and she'll love it when she gets older," Dearka replied indulging her.

"Actually, Ian helped me pick it out," Miriallia stated.

"I take it back then, she probably won't like it," Dearka said with slit eyes and a deadly glare over in Ian's direction. He had thought Ian was telling the truth when he swore he wouldn't make a move on Miriallia again and there he was trying to help name Dearka's new baby girl.

"Dearka stop acting like such a jealous child! He genuinely wanted to help with her middle name. He thought of the perfect name and one to go along with the theme that I used for Annabella's middle name," Miriallia defended.

"All right, I'm game. What did he suggest?" Dearka said rolling his eyes.

"I gave Annabella a middle name similar to my first name, so he suggested we do the same for Nora, just using your first name instead," Miriallia started.

"The only thing I could think of that was close to yours though was Deanna," Ian said trying to sound ingenuous.

Dearka's eyes lit up at the thought of his little girl having a name similar to his. It didn't even matter that it was her middle name or that Ian thought of it, his ego was far more superior then his rationality. Ian's plan had worked. He would be able to have a hand in naming Nora and Dearka's ego would allow it without any complaints.

"I guess that's okay," he said trying to sound unsure.

"Really, you don't mind?" Miriallia asked again.

"Of course he doesn't mind. He knows I was just trying to help. Besides why would I help by thinking of a middle name that had anything to do with him if I was still going after you? That is what you were thinking right?" Ian coaxed in order to make Dearka look like the bad guy again.

"That has nothing to do with it!" Dearka snapped.

"Hey you two calm down. I don't want you guys to startle the baby by starting a fight with one another in here and Miriallia definitely doesn't need the stress right now," the doctor reprimanded.

"Honestly, the two of you have got to stop all the bickering. The doctor is right, I don't want either of you to upset me or Nora!" Miriallia snipped at them.

Both of them looked a bit dejected being yelled at by both Miriallia and the doctor. Dearka couldn't believe he had fallen for Ian's set up either. Part of him wished he could go back to the old days when he was on the Archangel with Miriallia. At that time it was just the two of them with no interruptions from anyone else. Now he felt as if he was fighting tooth and nail for her every minute of the day.

"Hey, maybe we should go and I can help you get things ready to take Miriallia down to the PLANTs," Ian said trying to mend the small tear he created between them again by giving Nora her middle name.

Dearka could feel the lack on sincerity but took him up on the offer anyway. He could see Miriallia was beginning to faze out and wasn't as suspicious of Ian as he was either so it wasn't worth the fight. The last thing he needed was to look like the jerk in Miriallia's eyes again with Ian's help. He had done a good enough job of that on his own in the past.

As the two exited the room once again, Ian felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder. "Hey! What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed. He began to rub it as fast as he could to relieve the pain.

"Next time you pull a stunt like that my fist will end up in your face and not your shoulder," Dearka warned.

"I was just trying to help. God, you have a serious trust issue man," Ian said. He knew there was no way that wasn't going to leave a mark and cursed at Dearka under his breath.

"Yeah sure you were. I'm not that dumb. I know you planned to use my name just so I would look like the jerk to Miriallia if I didn't accept it in the end. And as for the trust issue, maybe it's only because I've been burned by you and Cadey one too many times to know better," Dearka scolded and stomped off ahead enraged.

Ian ran to catch up bumping into one of the soldiers on the way exclaiming his apologies to them as he continued to run by. "Hey would you wait up Dearka!" Ian called after him. When he finally caught up to Dearka, he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around.

"What the hell do you still want!" Dearka yelled and took a swing at him. Ian had dodged just in time, but was now on guard himself.

"What is wrong with you? Did you forget who saved your sorry butt when your parents had their bodyguards beat you down!" Ian snapped revealing what had happened to him finally.

Soldiers in the corridor stopped in their tracks at the raised voices and display of childish behavior. But most of them stopped over Ian's retort since it had finally explained what really happened that day and finally laid rest to the rumors that had been circulating the two ships about Dearka's injuries that day.

As the shuffling of footsteps ceased for the moment and both Dearka and Ian's faces felt hot as their skin began to blush from the commotion they caused and attention they had brought to themselves. Not to mention Dearka hadn't expected Ian to blurt out to the whole ship what had really happened to him.

In the end, Dearka was still the son of a Council member and could find himself as one of the top gossip topics on both the ship and PLANT tabloids still even though he was a ZAFT soldier. They had a field day when he was demoted so long ago. Although some was his doing, most of it was thanks to the marriage arrangement to Cadey.

"What is going on down here!" a voice boomed over the crowd that had gathered. Dearka and Ian were still eying each other and making an effort not to let their guard down.

The crowd began to part and salute as the ZAFT member made their way through to get to the two causing all the trouble. "You two again! I would have thought you would have learned by now that this ship is not a playground! What are you all standing around for? We are post battle and should be securing the ship, so get back to work! What would Commander Joule do if he caught you all slacking off like this!"

"Shiho," Dearka called out in relief. The relief he felt though was short-lived when he saw the look on her face.

"Uh-oh," Ian said as he tried to scurry away.

"Lt Randall, where do you think you're going?" Shiho asked with a sweetened voice that was so obviously a façade. Ian stopped for a moment and turned back around to face her.

"I was just getting back to work. I should really go check the systems on my mobile suit," he stated walking backwards to escape.

"Sure you were. I think it's time we all head over to Yzak's office and have this out once and for all, don't you agree. Besides, Yzak is going to have to do some damage control thanks to you," Shiho reprimanded.

Dearka had his classic smirk on his face but quickly wiped it away when he saw Shiho glare at him again. "And you, I expected better of you. I saw you take a swing at him. I don't know what just happened between you two again, but that was definitely uncalled for. You know this is partly your fault," she continued to chew out Dearka.

"Yeah, yeah, can we just go to Yzak's office or are you planning on tearing me to shreds in front of more crew members?" Dearka snipped as he twisted back around and headed down the way he came toward Yzak's office.


	14. It's Time

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 14**

It's Time

"You're blowing things out of proportion, Shiho." Dearka exclaimed as they entered Yzak's office.

Yzak looked up from his seat with a look of confusion. He had no idea what had just transpired between the three of them and was busy working on the extensive paperwork that followed each enemy engagement.

Belle was also looking at the three who entered the room with her own look of confusion, although for a very different reason than Yzak had. She smiled when she recognized her daddy walk through the door and stood up from her spot with the blocks and scurried over to him. "Daddy's home," she shrieked in excitement.

"Hey there sweetheart. You were a good girl for Uncle Yzak, right?" he asked while swooping her up into his strong arms.

"Yes sir," she said with the ZAFT salute Shiho had been teaching her.

"Cute Shiho," Dearka scolded.

"Hey I figured she IS the daughter of a soldier, she might as well learn the gestures of one too," Shiho emphasized with a smile as she walked by and headed toward Yzak.

Yzak remained still. He was waiting for an explanation on why everyone had graced him with their presence once again. "Well?" he asked shifting his eyes between the three intruders. Every thing seemed so tense between them all lately that he wondered if things would ever be the way they had used to be.

"Oh right," Shiho said straightening her jacket and saluting. Both Ian and Dearka looked at each other with the same uncertain look at Shiho's reaction to the question.

"Commander, I feel it's in the best interest of this ship to remove both Lt. Elsman and Lt. Randall from active duty effective immediately," she stated coldly.

"What the hell!" Dearka yelled creating a ripple effect he didn't expect.

"What the hell!" Belle exclaimed happily copying her father's exact words.

"Good job Dearka. If you haven't ticked Miriallia off with what you did before, this is sure to push her over the edge when she wakes up," Ian reprimanded and rolled his eyes.

"You want me to deck you again," Dearka said through gritted teeth.

"Try you mean," Ian corrected.

"And that is precisely the reason why I believe both men should temporarily be removed from duty," Shiho said needing no other explanation thanks to their small quarrel.

"You know, I thought you said we were coming down here to finally have it out, not to have our jobs threatened. You do realize this is my only way of supporting my family," Dearka said angrily.

"Yes, but your job is to protect the PLANTs and…" she started.

"And I've done that better than anyone," Dearka finished.

Ian remained quiet, the last thing he wanted to do was provoke Yzak into agreeing that he should be sentenced to the unemployment line temporarily with Dearka. Yzak sat there with a scowl on his face. He knew Shiho was agitated by their antics, but he didn't realize they had gotten this out of hand or even irritated her this much. Last he checked they were playing nicely with each other.

For all intents and purposes she was correct, but still Dearka was his best friend and Ian, well Ian was just Ian. Another soldier connected in some way to the High Council. "Okay, so what is really going on here that you finally pushed Shiho to her limit?" Yzak asked putting his hand up to hush Shiho.

"Are we speaking freely or are our jobs really at risk?" Dearka asked.

"They should be," Shiho huffed. She could already tell from Yzak's response to her request that once again Dearka was going to walk through the fire and not get burned. Sometimes that in itself would drive her absolutely insane. It had once even made her consider trying her hand at causing trouble just to see if Yzak would jump through as many hoops to protect her position as he did for his best friend. Unfortunately for Shiho, that particular personality trait of pushing the limit wasn't strong enough in her to overcome the intense work ethic trait she carried.

"Speaking freely of course," Yzak said more calmly than any of them were used to. He just wanted to get what was going on out in the open. One minute he was picking up Belle with Shiho and the next everyone was in his office again with daggers in their eyes as if the truce between them had never occurred.

"Ian and I had another falling out, that's all," Dearka said trying to make it sound like it was really no big deal.

"Give me a break! You took a swing at him and he blurted out everything Yzak and I worked so hard to cover up about that small disappearing act you pulled," Shiho stated filling Yzak in unintentionally.

"So that's what's going on. Ian do you have anything you want to add?" Yzak asked before handing down his verdict.

"Just that Dearka's paranoid that I'm still after his fiancée. And honestly had he not tried to deck me I was planning on asking him if he really wasn't interested in Cadey anymore if he minded that I pursued that avenue, but he went crazy and attacked me. Lucky for me he missed," Ian said with an evil grin.

"You lay one finger on Cadey and I won't miss next time," Dearka snapped inadvertently. Yzak and Shiho stared at Dearka in shock at his response to Ian.

"Yeah, what? You can't seriously be surprised that I'm still slightly protective of her, regardless of what she's done in the past. We were together for two years and he's only saying that because he knew it would make me angry." He paused for a moment before continuing with a thoughtful look on his face. "In fact, it almost seems like you wish you were me at times. After all everything that's mine you try to take away," Dearka pointed out due to the awkward silence.

"Being you is the last thing I'm interested in. Who would want such a screwed up life. You only have a clean record because of Cadey and Yzak and you aren't the most reliable guy I've met. Plus, if Miriallia only knew half the girls you've whispered promises of a future with you to, she would be sick to her stomach. So no, I really don't want to be you. I don't have to be a heartbreaker to find company," Ian said with malice.

"You know what, why don't we deal with more pressing matters than both of your love lives. Say like the well being of the PLANTs or something like that. What do you both say?" Yzak asked not even taking another step into the minefield that had been set up in front of him.

"You are seriously going to let them off the hook again aren't you?" Shiho said with a dangerous tone lining her voice. Her dark hair whipped around, allowing the strands to dance like thousands of needles.

Yzak knew he was in for a lecture from her when they were off duty, but for now, he was still in charge of the situation and he wasn't going to let Ian or Dearka screw around anymore or allow Shiho to add fuel to the fire.

"I really don't have time for this. Stop acting like children and get back to work. I expect all the maintenance to be completed on your ZAKU Ian, you'll be up front in any future battles," Yzak said looking down to avoid eye contact with Dearka.

Dearka let Belle slip gently to the floor and patted her on the back to herd her towards the blocks she had been playing with before. Belle was obedient and moved away feeling the tension rising in the air despite her age.

"And what about me?" Dearka asked holding his temper back. The rage was evident in his voice even making Ian step back from him.

"You know what, I'm going to go and maintain my ZAKU. That is, if I may be excused Sir," he asked saluting.

Yzak nodded his head with the go-ahead and watched as Ian scurried out the door. Even Shiho didn't know what to do now. "Would you like me to leave Sir?" she asked as she saluted.

"I think that would be a good idea," Yzak replied. Shiho bent over to pick up Belle when she heard him clear his throat. "That won't be necessary. She can stay where she is," Yzak ordered.

"Sir," she saluted again and headed out the door avoiding the scathing look that was being thrown in her direction.

As the door closed letting out the final intruder, Dearka turned to look at Yzak again. "Well, are you going to say anything?"

"Dearka, go be with your family. It's obvious to all of us that you are so insecure that you take every little thing said out of context. The fact that you keep letting Ian get to you or that you still think he's trying to take that Natural away from you…"

"Miriallia," Dearka corrected.

"Fine, Miriallia. But that's what I'm talking about. We're best friends, but lately I don't feel like you think of anyone but yourself. Everything is about you and that; I mean Miriallia. I think I speak for both Shiho and myself when I say you've needed our assistance one too many times and we're all feeling a little rundown. You also need to let go of this control thing you have going on lately too. Cadey doesn't belong to you. Heck, even Miriallia doesn't belong to you. They're not objects and it seems you think of everything that way since you and Ian had the first falling out. Every thing's a competition with the two of you," Yzak said sincerely.

"So because I've needed your help keeping Ian at bay and bringing my family back together, I'm a burden to you and you're going to discharge me?" Dearka said defensively.

"I never said that. I just think it's time for you to get your life back together without any of our help. You want Ian to stop hitting on your girl, than marry her for crying out loud. He's not going to bother you then. As annoying as I think he is, I still believe he's an honorable guy. You want you parents to stop interfering, than announce to the world that you are with a Natural and have two children with her. Don't just stand there and hide behind this uniform. It's not fair to her and its' certainly not fair to ZAFT," Yzak stated.

"Unbelievable! You think I'm playing around. I risk my life out there every time I'm called and you think it's a game to me or that I'm hiding like some little kid? I went through hell and back since this war between the PLANTs and the Earth Alliance began and you were with me every step of the way. I can also recount some of the times I saved your sorry butt too," Dearka shouted.

"And I can do the same!" Yzak raised his voice.

The two hadn't argued like this in a long time. In fact the last time they argued about personal issues was back in the Academy. "Look you've changed and I don't know if it's for the better of for the worse, but I can tell you it's not an asset to our forces at this moment. Have you forgotten your fiancée is lying in your room hooked up to an IV waiting to be moved to the PLANTs just so she can survive and here you are arguing over your position in the military? You also have another daughter that needs medical attention that this ship just can't provide and again here you still are glaring at me like I'm the monster."

"I have it taken care of. She's being moved as soon as the perimeter is secured," Dearka replied through his gritted teeth.

"And where will you be? Here on the ship? You would just leave her alone on the PLANTs with no family and no friends? Wow, if her father hated you before, I can't imagine he'll ever like you after this stunt."

"She's going to be fine. Nell said she would stay there with her until I finish things up around here," Dearka defended.

Yzak couldn't believe his ears. It was as if he and Dearka had switched places. For once he was being the rational and Dearka was being thickheaded. "Fine you don't want my advice, I get it. I'm not one to talk. I can't even count the number of times you've told me what I needed to hear and I blew you off. But really you need to think about this. You're about to send Miriallia down to the PLANTs in a weakened state with a new baby that is over a month early, leave her with one of your ex-bedmates, and keep her other daughter up here with you until you can figure out how to put your life back on track. Seems like you're going out of the way more for yourself than for her well-being."

"That's not even funny," Dearka scolded.

Yzak shuffled through some more papers with a small grin on his face. He knew exactly which part of that offended him the most. "You could have picked a million people and you chose Nell. Nice choice."

"I chose her because I trust her. She's the only one who hasn't been obsessed with me once we broke it off," Dearka answered with a small twinge of guilt forming in the pit of his stomach for not thinking about who he was about to introduce Miriallia too and right after she gave birth to their second child.

"And that's why I'm putting you on leave again. I'm not discharging you, but if you're that confused that you are making decisions like that then I don't trust you out there with the life of my girlfriend or my ship," Yzak said with a wink.

"Fine I see your point. But what exactly am I supposed to do?" Dearka asked.

"I don't know you're supposed to be the older one here. You tell me."

Dearka's eyes shifted away from his target and dropped softly onto Belle who remained quiet on the floor for her father's sake. She could tell her daddy was in a bad mood and she didn't want to do or say anything to make him mad at her.

He looked back at Yzak and saluted, "Sir requesting permission for leave due to family obligations."

Yzak blinked and nodded his head, "Permission granted."

Dearka smirked at his friend and walked over to grab Belle. "Don't worry about the blocks. I'll have Shiho put them away. I think I'll be needing those around for when you get back with the rug rats."

"I'm not a rug rat," Belle replied defiantly and crossed her arms in front of her with a pout.

Dearka laughed at his little angel. "Thanks Yzak for everything. But you're right I need to get my life together on my own."

"So other than going down to the PLANTs and taking them all with you, what else are you planning?" Yzak asked curiously before Dearka could escape.

"I'm not completely sure yet about all the details. But I do know the first thing I have to do is make sure Miriallia and Nora are safe and healthy and then I'm going to have to hack into my grandparents' trust fund that they left for me. I'm pretty sure the money that was set aside by my parents is already out of reach, but I don't think they thought far enough ahead yet in there attempt to teach me a lesson. After all that, I'll have to diffuse Cadey. Something tells me with the way Ian acted as soon as Nora was born that it's a sign that they've been up to something for a while now and the timing was messed up due to her early arrival."

"I'm glad to see you're finally thinking with a clear head. And if you could just marry this girl before you get back I'll finally be spared from hearing all the women on this ship swooning over you and your 'adorable children'," Yzak said with a hint of jealousy.

"Hey what can I say, I'm irresistible and so are they," he said with a smirk and hit the button to open the door. Belle waved from her fathers' arms with her own little smile. "Bye Uncle E-Yak."

"Bye rug rat," he replied with a soft smile that was unlike him.

"I'm not a rug rat," he heard her call out again as the door swished closed between them all.

"Well kiddo looks like we've got our work cut out for us if we want to finally be a happy family," Dearka said to Belle as they made their way down the corridors.

"I want a happy family," she repeated with her soft sweet voice.

"Me too," Dearka said with a sigh. They worked their way back to his quarters and he began to punch in his code. "Now Belle, you have to be quiet. Mommy's sleeping and she needs her rest. We don't want to wake her right now. You're going to be a good girl, right?"

"Yes Sir!" she replied with another salute. The sight brought a smile to his face although his thoughts raced to future worries at the same moment. _"She better not think she'll get to be a soldier like her daddy. There's no way I'll let my baby girl get herself caught up in such a dangerous profession," _he thought protectively.

The door opened and they could see Miriallia sleeping peacefully with the IV drip continuing to flow. Dearka put Belle down and walked over to Miriallia to give her a soft kiss on her forehead. She stirred slowly but never woke from her slumber.

"Well I guess we should get some rest too," he whispered to Belle as he picked her up again and placed her in bed strapping her in safely.

"Where are you sleeping Daddy?" Belle asked concerned.

"Not sure yet honey," he realized from her comment and began looking around their room. He didn't have much furniture in his room and it was pretty small now that there were four of them. _"It didn't seem this small when it was just me. But then again, I wouldn't trade this for the world," _he thought still smiling to himself.

"Daddy can stay with me," Belle announced trying to help. He kissed her on the cheek and pulled the covers up over her. Handing her the stuffed animal she loved so much, he let out a laugh. "Thank you Belle, but I don't think Daddy can fit in there with you. Don't you worry; I'll be fine. You just need some rest too, so close your eyes. We have a big day taking care of your Mommy and baby sister," he told her and walked away to hit the light switch.

The room went dark except for the tiny light from the humidifier Miriallia had set up when she had been complaining about the air being so dry on the ship. It was actually pretty stylish from the humidifiers he remembered as a kid. It was more deco art styled with a light blue glow-in-the-dark type light that it emitted. He noticed his office chair and decided he would just have to suffer and figure out a way to make himself comfortable. There was no way he was going to figure out how to fit in the bed with Miriallia when she was in such a state. Plus he still valued his life and wasn't quite sure how she would react when she woke up again.

The last few months had been a similar guessing game for him. One moment she was chipper and over-excited and the next she was depressed and angry with him for what she was going through. Not that he could blame her, she had gone through so much and then to deal with all her pregnancy symptoms on a rocking ship that was consistently ending up in battle and a small room that didn't allow either of them anytime to themselves took a toll on her and him for that matter.

_"I can't wait until I get all of us down to the PLANTs. I need to start working on finding my girls a permanent home or I'm never going to survive becoming a family man," _he thought as he sat down and set the chair to lean back. He put his feet up on the desk and closed his eyes allowing the sound of the humidifier lull him to sleep.


	15. Frailty

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 15**

Frailty

Dearka sat quietly as he watched Miriallia stir awake. Her eyes fluttered from the peaceful state she had been in.

"Dearka, where are we?" she questioned with the look of concern filling her features. The room they were in was a white and lilac mix with crisp eyelet curtains blowing gently with the soft breeze.

"There's no need to worry Mir. We're on PLANT. You were transferred here last night. You've been unconscious since having Nora," he answered standing up from the chair he had been sitting in and moving over to her but never smiling.

Her eyes glistened with an enamored look. "Nora," she repeated with a quiet tone.

"That's still okay isn't it?" Dearka asked hoping that she hadn't changed her mind.

Everything was still as his heart jumped a few beats. And then she spoke again, "Of course, I haven't changed my mind. I told you I thought it was perfect. Are you still okay with her middle name though?" She now felt the same way he just had while awaiting his response.

A flash entered his mind and he remembered Yzak's warning before answering. "Yeah, I can live with the fact that Randall helped name her. But it's only because her name is similar to mine. I still have my ego after all," he teased.

"I know all too well," she joked with him. There was another awkward moment of silence when they finished giggling. He didn't want to laugh with the way things were, but somehow even in the worst situations, she brightened his life.

"I'm really sorry for the way things turned out. I never meant to upset you with all the bickering Randall and I did over you."

"So I really did ruin your friendship with him so much that you don't even call him by his first name anymore," she noted with concern about her part in the whole mess between the two young men.

He didn't know what to say at that moment. Dearka never wanted to make her feel like anything that went wrong in his life was her fault. After all, she didn't really do anything but act like the sweet, gentle woman she is. It had just been the circumstances that led to the way things were now.

"Sooner or later it was going to happen once we met up again. I can't say that I'm not still protective of Cadey and he feels the same way. I think a little of it has to do with you and a lot actually has to do with Cadey in this instance."

"Wait a minute, what's that I hear?" she said with a strange look in her eyes. He wasn't sure what she was about to say and he was afraid he might have said something that was going to upset her again, especially with the mention of Cadey.

"Was that honesty finally slipping from your lips with such ease?" she teased. His features lightened up from the tension that had begun to show from the pause and a small smile escaped.

"I guess it's about time, huh?" he laughed a little embarrassed.

Miriallia looked around the room again and noticed something missing. A look of concern drew across her features as she tried to make sense of her thoughts. She was still a little groggy and unable to gain her composure completely. "Where are they?" she asked starting to get a little frantic.

Dearka knew exactly who had entered her mind and wasted no time in answering her question. "Belle is staying with a friend of mine here and Nora is safe," he said to avoid telling Miriallia anything that would upset her.

"What do you mean by safe Dearka?" she asked ruining his tactic. He wanted to make sure she was kept calm as the doctor ordered, but knew that would be near impossible when she woke up asking for her baby.

Dearka moved in swiftly and sat on the bed next to her. Wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to protect her from the words that were about to spill from his lips. How could he tell her what was happening? He was terrified himself, but he was only following orders by staying in the room and giving the doctors space like the soldier in him demanded.

"Dearka!" she insisted, her heart rate rising. The air thickened as she started having trouble breathing. All of a sudden the pain she had been feeling tripled as she waited for any sound at all to come out of his mouth.

"You need to calm down Mir," Dearka said trying to keep himself together. Her eyes flashed angrily as if a fire had lit behind them. Now wasn't the time to tell her to stay calm, not when they were talking about their baby.

"Tell me now!" she said enraged. The overprotective mothering side revealed itself as she ordered him to tell her where their daughter was.

"She's going to be fine, she's just in the ICU for now. It's only temporary. You have to realize she's over a month early and with all those drugs they gave you in the EAF, we just want to be extra cautious," he lied through his teeth ending the short streak of honesty he had begun. But then again, in this case, one more white lie couldn't hurt when Miriallia's health was at stake, or so he told himself.

The truth was, he didn't know how she was really doing. There were some complications during the transfer due to her early delivery and they really didn't know what affects the drugs had on her on the ship to begin with. All he could do was sit and wait to find out. The worse part is he now had to make Miriallia believe his words.

"I need to see her," she cried softly. Dearka closed his eyes and shook his head at her. There wasn't even a way for him to justify taking her out of her room and especially not when she was still weak and hooked to an IV herself.

"Miriallia, it's not a good idea right now. She's going to be okay, but you have to rest too. How about I send for Belle to come down to see you right now?" he pleaded to any rationality she may have left.

"I said NOW Dearka!" the weakness of her last request faded as the lioness she was shone through. There was no mistaking what it was that made him fall in love with her in the first place. She may be a crybaby at times, but when she was serious she was ferocious.

"Okay," he gave in easily. This side of her always made him fall in line and do whatever it was she asked of him. Now he just had to figure out how to pull it off. The nurses were sure to have an eye on all the doors and he didn't even want to think of the lecture he'd get from the doctor once he was caught.

All that didn't matter anymore. Miriallia wanted to see their baby and he was going to make it happen, somehow. He looked around the room and saw the robe hanging on the door. He stood up and walked over to grab it, turning around to bring it too her, a barley audible scold came from his mouth. "Stop that!" he cried at her.

"What are you doing? You aren't supposed to touch that," he snipped. She had pulled the IV out of her hand and began rubbing the puncture wound roughly.

"I can't very well walk around with the IV still attached to me. Don't you think it would be a little too obvious? Just get me my clothes," she ordered shooing him away from her with the robe.

"I swear you're going to be the end of me Mir," Dearka said shaking his head and obeying her every word. He tossed her clothes onto the bed next to her and stood there with a spacey look on his face.

"Well what are you waiting for?" she asked.

"What?" he responded in confusion.

"Turn around," she ordered. Dearka was definitely lost now. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. Out of all things to say to him.

"You've got to be kidding," he stated with offense.

"I'm not, now turn around," she said again.

Dearka turned around in annoyance, huffing and shaking his head in frustration. "Really Mir, this is ridiculous. It's not like…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's not like you haven't seen it all before. I'm not comfortable right now, so just deal with it," she said cutting him off and slipping into her dress.

She tapped him on the shoulder gently and he turned around. She took his breath away again. Already looking like the Miriallia she used to be only a day later. "Impressive bounce back if I do say," he said with a sly grin.

"Don't get any ideas. You're going to have to wait until I heal," she winked. She began walking toward the door and turned back to see he wasn't following.

"Well, what are you waiting for, let's go," she said impatiently.

"You know Miriallia, she needs a little TLC from the doctors still. Are you sure you want to see her in this state?" he asked trying to forewarn her.

"She's our daughter and I don't care how she looks right now, I need to see her," she said with a certainty that made Dearka move from his place.

He hit the door switch and looked around the bend to see where the nurses were positioned. Luckily for him, no one was anywhere to be seen. "Okay, the coast is clear. But once we get to the ICU, I can't promise anything," he said slipping her out of the door with him.

They scurried down the hall and around the corner. Away from the Maternity Ward nurses, they were able to walk normally through the next corridor. Miriallia had heard what he said and took it to heart.

"So, how often have you been down at the ICU?" she asked. He stopped in his tracks and kept his head down for a moment.

"Is she really doing that poorly?" Miriallia asked the question that was really on her mind. Dearka took a deep breath before looking up and turning to look straight into her eyes.

"I've been checking on her every hour until they told me that I wasn't allowed to visit anymore. Since then I've been waiting for you to wake up," he answered.

"Then it isn't a good sign, is it?" she asked hoping the answer wouldn't be what she feared.

"I really don't know Mir," he said honestly. Dearka grabbed her hand and started moving toward the ICU with her. Without a word he looked around and walked over to the nurses' station with her still holding on.

"Lt. Elsman, what are you doing here? I thought the doctor told you she would get you when you could see your daughter again," the nurse said looking up from the desk.

"I need a favor, I want to see Nora one more time. Her mother has to see her. Please I'm begging you to open the doors to the ICU so we can just peek in on her," Dearka pleaded.

"I'm really sorry Sir, but I could lose my job. I can't break a direct order. No one is allowed to enter the ICU at this time. Not even the child's mother," she replied.

"Please it will only be a moment. I'll be quiet, honest. I just have to see my little girl. I haven't even been able to see her yet," Miriallia begged.

"I wish I could, but I don't have the authority," the nurse stated feeling the pain the predicament was causing the couple. Dearka's head dropped in defeat. He was hoping the nurse would let them through for just a moment, but knew that it was a long shot.

"What's the problem, losing your touch," a familiar voice rang out. Dearka shuddered when he heard the noise. How could THAT person be here? He hadn't even told them what was going on. In fact, they hadn't spoken since that day.

Dearka turned to face the familiar voice and stood on edge. Miriallia turned to see the cold eyes looking her up and down. "You may not have the authority to allow entrance, but I do. Please let them into the ICU," the voice demanded.

"Yes, right away," the nurse, replied without hesitation. The doors swung open and Dearka looked between the two.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You wanted in didn't you?" Dearka's eyes slit in anger but he felt the gentle tugging of his fiancée leading him toward the doors. Dearka didn't waste another moment and followed Miriallia through the entrance.

Once in, he took the lead and brought her to the window to see their baby girl. She was so tiny and hooked up to so many machines. Tears formed in Miriallia's eyes as she saw her baby girl in such dire straits. "Why are there so many machines on her? She's too tiny for all those things," Miriallia cried.

Dearka rubbed her shoulders gently and kissed the top of her head. "She's going to be fine, I know it. Don't worry Miriallia, I'll make sure of it."

"And how are you going to pay for all of this Dearka?" the voice intervened.

Miriallia stifled her tears and turned to see that they had been followed in. "I'm sorry, do you personally know him Dearka?" Miriallia asked.

Of course he knew him. It was the one person he'd hoped to never see again. "Miriallia, I'd like you to meet my father, Councilman Tad Elsman," he said with resentment. Miriallia stood there in shock. She had never expected to meet one of his parents this way.

"Is that any way to treat your father, who just came over to help you in your time of need?" Tad asked.

"Help me? I asked for your help once before and I remember quite clearly how you reacted. So yeah, that's the way I treat a father like you," Dearka stated defensively.

Miriallia had turned back around after hearing who he was to look at her little girl again. "You don't need him Dearka," Miriallia said taking note of Dearka's hostility toward the person.

"I know I don't," Dearka replied. Miriallia turned back around and bowed politely.

"Thank you for helping us into the ICU, but we don't need any financial or supportive help. My family is well enough off and can afford any care our daughter needs," Miriallia said respectfully.

"I'm beginning to see that from the way you're dressed and how you act young lady. It's almost like night and day between this one and your official fiancée," Tad stated.

"She's my official fiancée," Dearka answered shortly, his eyes never blinking. The two stood dangerously still as Miriallia's focus turned between them and her baby.

"Were you planning on telling your mother and I about this?" Tad questioned already knowing the answer.

"Not now, I have my daughter to worry about Councilman," Dearka replied and returned his attention on Miriallia and his daughter through the glass.

"You are acting very immature Dearka. I know we raised you better. Besides it was just tough love that your mother and I had shown you that day," he said sounding innocent.

"You call kidnapping my daughter and beating me down, tough love. You've got some nerve showing up here and thinking I'd buy that," Dearka roared never looking back.

Miriallia's eyes widened when she heard his words and turned to look at the face of the man that supposedly took their daughter from him when Dearka had been in charge of caring for her.

"It's funny, even with how much Miriallia's father despises me, the one thing he cared about more than anything was his child and his grandchild. You were amazingly the exact opposite and yet groomed me into thinking that family was the most important thing," Dearka condemned.

"It is the most important thing, when it's a pure family. She seems sweet enough, but you already have an obligation to another woman, or have you forgotten that detail," his father scolded.

"Not this again. Cadey and I broke it off. It was a mutual agreement and nothing that concerns you. Not to mention, I was already obligated to Miriallia. I was with her before I ever returned to PLANT," Dearka countered.

"Enough!" Miriallia yelled. Both men stopped and turned in attention to her cry. She was very insistent when she wanted to be.

"This isn't about him and Cadey and this isn't about who he belongs with or who has a say in his life. Right now this is about our daughter who is hooked up to machines and may not survive. I don't want to hear how disappointed you are that he is with a Natural. I just want you to leave him alone so he can focus on the most important thing in his life right now, his little girl. If you really cared for his happiness, you'll just walk away and leave us be," Miriallia's voice ordered.

The statement threw Tad Elsman off his guard. It was a rare occurrence, but whenever Dearka was privy to it, things tended to work in his favor.

"For now, I'll take my leave. It is not my intention to upset you young lady. Especially since you are a new mother in a horrible situation. But I am not leaving this hospital until my son and I have a discussion," Tad informed them.

"I'm not your son," Dearka stated defiantly.

Tad shook his head as he began to walk away. "The genes say otherwise son. By the way, she is a cute little thing in there, regardless that her mother is a Natural."

Miriallia and Dearka watched him leave in aggravation. But just as quickly as he had gained their attention, he lost it to the sweet angel sleeping on the other side of the glass.


	16. Details

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 16**

Details

Dearka sat alone in the waiting room with his head in his hands. He had escorted Miriallia back to her room once their time with Nora was up. She needed her rest and with his father roaming around the hospital somewhere, he didn't want a repeat of the earlier incident to happen in front of her again. _"Well speak of the devil,"_ he thought as that same person made his presence known with a small clearing of his throat.

"I spoke with your mother just now," his father stated as he sat down next to his son. The air chilled as Dearka's anger began to resurface once again. The look on his face as he began to lift his head had even scared the attendant at the nurses' station out of the area.

"Why are you still here? Do you just enjoy torturing me? I told you to leave my family and I alone," Dearka replied.

He was tired of being under this man's thumb. Time and time again he rebelled and they just kept following him around. He felt like his life was always being remodeled around him and he had no say in the décor.

"I am your family and don't you EVER forget that," his father said with affirmation.

It was unbelievable to him. _"Does he really think every thing that happened could be wiped clean so easily? Or does he expect me to grovel for his help? This man's arrogance is overwhelming sometimes,"_ he thought not replying to his fathers' statement.

"I see; you're not even going to acknowledge me. I did get you and that Natural play toy of yours in to see the baby girl, but I guess that's not enough for you," he said as he leaned back into the seat and folded his arms across his chest.

Dearka rolled his eyes and stood up. "You just don't get it yet do you? I love her and I'm not leaving her again. I'm not a kid anymore and I don't need your assistance. I can get by on my own. And that last remark, doesn't even deserve a response," he said sounding as if he had finally taken his responsibility seriously.

"Get by on your own, huh? How are you planning on doing that? Using her family's money instead of mine?" Tad asked sarcastically.

"It's none of your business how I plan to take care of them. But no, I don't plan on taking a dime from them or you for that matter. You act as though I don't have a career of my own and you assume she doesn't either. Between the two of us, we'll be fine," Dearka stated.

He stood up and began ruffling through his back pocket. Pulling out his wallet, he opened it up and searched through pulling out card after card. Dearka dropped them on the table in front of his father. "I don't need these anymore," he said as he shuffled away.

He was now leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. His stance mimicking his fathers, arms crossed in front of him and the same disappointed look on his face. Although Dearka's look was more of a disappointment that he was even related to Tad Elsman, while his father seemed to just be disappointed in the decisions his son had made up to now with his life.

"You don't really expect me to believe you don't need these," his father said now sifting through the cards. One card in particular caught his eye and he looked up at his son.

"It's not bad enough that my daughter is so sick that she may not even survive, but you have to travel all this way to tell me what a screw up you think I am and then say quite a few nasty comments to Miriallia as well. I'm not taking this abuse from you anymore and you can tell your wife that too," Dearka scolded.

He pushed himself off the wall using the muscles in his back. The jerking motion his body made showed the disregard for his fathers' company. He walked to the exit and pushed through the double doors sensing he wasn't completely free of the man he loathed.

"So how long did it take you to clean out that account?" his father said still holding the cards with the one in question on the top of the pile.

Dearka turned around quickly, startling the man behind. "Why can't you get it through your thick head. I don't want anything to do with you and there isn't anything you can say or do that will change that!"

"I wouldn't be so hasty with my words if I were you," Tad said using a now calmer voice.

"Well, good thing you're not me, so you don't have to worry about it. As for that one account, it was mine to begin with," Dearka snipped sounding like a child. The people walking down the hallway that had stopped to stare at the two of them quickly slipped away when Dearka looked at them with his dangerous violet eyes. They were practically screaming how hostile he could become if someone got in his way. He was almost a perfect copy of Yzak not so long ago walking down the halls of the command post before the attack at Heaven's base.

"You know as well as I do that the little girl in that ICU needs more care than even this hospital can give and that one account alone isn't going to pay for that," Tad began.

"I see; you're sticking around to bribe me again. So what do you want me to do this time? Oh wait you're like a broken record aren't you? Drop Miriallia and marry Cadey White so you and Councilman White look good in the public eye? Is that it? I told you I didn't need your help and I meant it. I'll have arrangements made to transfer her soon," Dearka replied.

"And how soon is that? At this rate, I don't think soon is even SOON enough. She needs help now Dearka. The one thing we never did when we took that other little girl from you is harm her in any way. I wouldn't do it to this one either," Tad reprimanded.

"You may not have physically hurt her, but you could have mentally destroyed her. Sending her off with God knows who in some arrangement you made to keep my daughter from me so that you and your wife looked good. And let's not forget the little party your security team had with me. I'm sure they enjoyed kicking around 'the spoiled rich brat' to the point that they almost killed me," Dearka yelled back causing one of the passing doctors to shoot a glare in his direction for his forceful tone.

"Well, you did put up one hell of a fight. I don't think it would have been as bad as it was if you hadn't tried to fight back. You ended up hurting six of the men you know," his father said with a sick look of pride on his face.

Dearka scoffed at his reaction. "I wasn't doing it for fun or to impress you. I was fighting to save my daughter. You know the one you kidnapped and practically sold at the flea market. And it wasn't even a fair fight with how many of them you sent after me."

"I didn't practically sell her at the flea market, don't be so overdramatic. She was placed with responsible and trustworthy people. She never really even left the grounds of the estate. You definitely lack faith in your family don't you? Speaking of which, my wife is YOUR mother. Stop pretending that we aren't related to you! She has been worried about you since that day and when Cadey showed up at the door, she had hoped that you had come to your senses," Tad responded.

"I HAVE come to my senses. I'm where I need to be and this is where I want to stay for the rest of my life," Dearka said as he turned to continue down the hall to escape his father.

"And what happens when she wants to leave PLANT with your children? What will you do then? And how long will it even take you to get help for your youngest in there that's fighting with all the strength in her tiny body just to take a breath?" Tad called out to regain Dearka's attention.

Dearka turned with his fists clenched. He was tired. Tired of being abused, tired of being manipulated but he knew his father was right. His little girl was fighting to hold on and Miriallia was falling apart. Who was he kidding, he didn't have a chance to save his daughter without some help and finding a way to contact Miriallia's family would take too long at this point. So Dearka did the only thing he could do and swallowed his pride. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, it's good to see that you still have some sense. You've come a long way from the boy that said he never wanted to be a father that day in the office during our arrangement with the White's. Maybe you'll make a good father after all." The comment made Dearka grit his teeth and start second-guessing his choice to investigate his fathers' plans more thoroughly.

Tad pulled out his cell phone and began making the call. "I haven't agreed to anything yet so what do you think you're doing?" Dearka asked getting more irritated.

Tad looked up and stared his son directly in the eyes. "I don't think at this moment it matters anymore what the deal is. You and I both know you don't have a choice and there is no way you will reject the proposal based on your situation. I just wanted to make sure that this family of yours is as important to you as you've been claiming it is. Now that I see it clearly, we can discuss the details of the agreement once I take care of this."

Dearka closed his eyes and looked away. He couldn't stand what he was about to do. Agreeing to terms that he didn't even know yet for the sake of his daughters' life; he never thought he'd see the day that he'd have to choose between Miriallia and their children. He felt as trapped as he did the day Cadey made her proposal to leave him be.

Tad closed the cell phone and walked over to his son. "Now this is a multi-step agreement. You will do them in order and you will not argue with me about it. A team of specialists are on their way into your daughters' room right now, so we should go find a quiet place to discuss my terms," Tad stated and waved for him to follow.

"You had them waiting here the whole time. You really are sadistic aren't you? You're actually enjoying this. You're probably happy that Nora is in this state now that it gives you the upper hand," Dearka growled.

He followed his father obediently down the hall, a rarity as it was, and slipped into the conference room his father instructed him to enter. _"No doubt this was all set up too," _he thought. His father sat down in one of the chairs and tossed a set of papers at him.

"Here you go. Read and sign them," he stated. Dearka looked at him with confusion and then noticed someone else in the room.

"I get it now, a witness. Official documents huh? Should I bother reading them?" His anger was rising. He was pinned down and once again it was thanks to his father.

"Only if you want to know what the rest of your life will be like," Tad answered. They sat in silence for a moment. And then Dearka noticed something on the paper.

"You need Miriallia's signature too? Why?" he became concerned.

"If you read the agreement, you'll understand. I'm just making sure you don't lose any more time with your children than you already have. I'm taking a different approach on the situation than I did before. Just read it," Tad explained.

Dearka began to read it from top to bottom, his eyes widening as he went. He couldn't believe what it said. "Is this for real? Where's the catch?" Dearka asked untrustingly.

"No catch, it's there in black and white. You and this Natural will be married and it will be dated before your first daughter was born in the records. You will both live in the PLANTs on Februarius but not on the estate, so you won't have to feel as though we are controlling you, as you like to put it when you talk about how 'evil' your mother and I are. We have already set up a home that I'm sure she will like. I took the liberty to see where the girl grew up and replicated it as much as possible. You will remain in the military and you will no longer be taking these leaves of absence. It's beginning to look bad on your record and there is only so much Yzak Joule can do for you now. But the one thing I need your Natural girls' signature for is that if, for any reason, she chooses to leave you after you are married, you will retain full custody of the children and she will not be permitted to return to Orb with them. After all, they are of the Elsman bloodline. I can't just let her walk away with them and leave you with nothing after all you've done to keep your family together," Tad stated the terms of the agreement.

"It seems to good to be true. Somehow I think you have an ace up your sleeve and that you are hoping she leaves me for some reason. And what if I don't want to live on the PLANTs anymore? How is this even fair? You're locking me into this arrangement and it's no different than when you arranged my marriage to Cadey. Or is that your plan? Are you hoping I won't want to marry Miriallia if you're forcing my hand?" Dearka replied.

"I assure you, there is nothing more too it. I'm just being a good businessman. The fact of the matter is if something happens she will leave and take the children with her. This guarantees it will not happen. And if you really want to live in Orb or someplace else in the future, we'll re-write the agreement or work out an addendum. I don't think this is too much to ask for saving your youngest life, do you? In fact, I think you gain more than you lose," Tad coaxed.

Dearka took the pen and signed his name the witness now practically drooling on his shoulder. The papers were swept away from him before the pen ever left the paper and with the ink still wet was returned to the Councilman's hand. "It seems we have a deal then."

"Looks like," Dearka retorted.

"I think it would be in your best interest if I presented, um…Miriallia was it, with this contract, don't you agree son?" Tad asked standing from his place.

Dearka closed his eyes and shook his head in agreement. As he re-opened them, he realized he had definitely just sold his soul to the devil himself. But his father had access to things out of his reach and his daughter was now critical. He couldn't afford to be cautious. "Yes father," he replied pushing the chair back and standing up.

His hands were on the table and his head was down with his eyes closed again. When he heard the door shut he opened them to see he was alone. The only sound that could be heard was his fist slamming the table as he cursed under his breath.

_"The only thing is, will she sign the papers and even forgive me for signing them before speaking with her,"_ he thought desperately. He looked around the room and wondered how long he should wait before he made his way back to Miriallia. How long did his father need to present this to her anyway? It didn't take him very long at all to convince Dearka he was in desperate need of help.

Dearka opened the door to the room and figured the best thing would be to go and see how Nora's condition was while he waited for his father to finish forcing Miriallia into the agreement as well. Before even stepping foot out of the door, there were people blocking his path.

"Lieutenant Elsman, I'm sorry sir but we've been instructed to make sure you don't leave this room until the Councilman returns," a soldier replied.

An annoyed look crossed Dearka's face. "Figures. Look, I just want to head to the ICU to get an update on my daughter. I don't care if you follow me," he stated trying to move past them.

The soldiers were insistent, but respectful of their equal. "Sir, I apologize again, but we must follow our orders. Please allow me to get the status report and bring it to you here," the soldier declared apologetically.

Dearka sighed deeply and stepped backwards to the room he had been in. "Fine, please retrieve the update for me and I'll remain in the room," he answered, once again not putting up a fight with something his father had demanded.

**Miriallia's hospital room…**

"So you see, it's all written out accordingly and Dearka has already signed the agreement," Tad said gently trying to coax the young woman to sign the papers.

Miriallia nodded her head as she read through the terms. "It seems you didn't waste any time seizing the moment Councilman Elsman," Miriallia answered sounding more adult than she had ever sounded in her life. The harsh times of war had made her stronger and having her children helped her age quickly.

"Miss Haw, if you saw the opportunity to bring one of your daughters home to you, would you not do the same no matter how much they kicked and screamed," Tad said eloquently.

"I don't believe they would ever feel the need to run away from me in the first place, so I'm not sure what I would do given the situation," she replied with truthfulness. She began to sign the paperwork no longer questioning his intentions. She had felt the same as Dearka; the choice was obvious. Fortunately for her, all though the outcome would have been the same, she was given the opportunity to hear all the details of the agreement.

"I take it if we choose to move to another location we must first discuss it with you and Mrs. Elsman?" she questioned already knowing the answer.

"Please don't fret Miss Haw, I can promise you, we will not be that difficult to convince if the two of you feel you need a lifestyle change," Tad said as his assistant serving as an official witness retrieved the papers from Miriallia.

"There are already specialists working on your daughter as we speak. She is in the best hands that PLANT can offer. With that said, she is in the best hands in the universe and I can almost guarantee she will come out of this unscathed," Tad continued as he looked over both signatures.

"I expect we will be receiving a copy of the agreement for our records as well?" Miriallia's tone was melancholy as she looked around the room for something else to affix her stare upon. She couldn't stand to even look at the man that had worked the situation over to his advantage so well.

"Of course I will have them made immediately for you. I will also make arrangements for the paperwork to arrive for your marriage certificate. I need to have that attended to as soon as possible," Tad said.

"I'm sure you do. It wouldn't look good on the family name if your son showed up with two children out of wedlock. I do have one question if you would grant me at least that," Miriallia started.

"And what would that be Miss Haw?" Tad asked curiously.

"Will you allow it if we still had a ceremony at my home in Orb if I agree to create the gathering as a sort of vow renewal instead of a wedding?" Miriallia asked thinking of the plans she and her mother have always dreamt of working on together.

"I don't see why not. Every young woman deserves a true wedding day," he said with a wink, much like Dearka's, as he exited the room.

The assistant lagged behind and looked over to Miriallia. "Miss Haw, I will return soon with Master Elsman and the paperwork. I will also stop by and pick up the current status report on your daughter. And, I'll be joined with a personal assistant for you and Master Elsman per Councilman Elsman's request," the man said.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. Dearka and I don't need a personal assistant and I'm more than capable of getting a report on my daughter," Miriallia responded politely.

"Miss, I don't think you understand. When the Councilman orders something all terms must be followed through with," the assistant stated with an air of warning to his tone.

Miriallia's eyes darkened as she realized what he was saying to her. It was the same as being imprisoned, but her cage happened to be a little larger than most. She nodded in agreement and allowed the man to leave the room.

_"This would never have happened if I had been able to contact my parents in Orb. No doubt the work of my soon-to-be dear old father-in-law,"_ Miriallia thought agitated. She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes awaiting Dearka's arrival. Even she wasn't sure what to expect now.

"There's no doubt that man has something planned to tear us apart, but I don't think he knows who he's dealing with. I don't care what he throws at me; I'm not leaving my children. There isn't anything that senseless man can do to destroy our relationship so badly that I would leave them behind," she contemplated now falling deep into her thoughts in the quiet room.


	17. Trust

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 17**

Trust

**In the meeting room…**

Dearka sat in one of the chairs at the boardroom table and waited for word on his daughter and Miriallia. He had been leaning back in his chair with his feet up when the door swished open again.

"Please Dearka, can't you at least pretend to be a gentlemen," his father scolded tossing papers on the table and sliding them toward him.

Dearka removed his feet from the tabletop and pushed the chair out to sit correctly. He picked up the papers and looked them over.

"It's your copy of our agreement," Tad stated.

"I know; I'm just making sure you didn't alter anything. I did end up reading it all the way through you know," Dearka said with a sarcastic tone.

Just then another set of papers were tossed down to him. "Are these about Nora?" he asked looking at the clinical sheet.

"It seems like she's hanging in there due to the treatment she's now receiving. It's beginning to look hopeful. But, I wouldn't say she's anywhere near being out of the woods yet," his father replied.

"And Miriallia?" Dearka asked.

"I'll have her taken care of too. You know I wouldn't have believed you truly read the original papers if you hadn't said that just now," Tad said with a smirk.

Dearka scoffed at his father. It wasn't the first time the man thought Dearka didn't have the ability to follow instructions or read things thoroughly.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do know how to use my head. I'm actually smarter than you give me credit for," Dearka said reading through Nora's papers.

"Your wife-to-be will get any and every treatment we can find to help undo what the EAF have done to her. But I am going to have to take my leave once again. I am a busy man after all and there are plenty of things I have to attend to. My assistant here will escort you back to Miss Haw where she will become your wife."

Tad paused for a moment before continuing, looking his son over from head-to-toe. "You will also be given an assistant of your own to attend to any need the two of you may have for the remainder of your stay. And I will be having little Nora transferred out as soon as she is at a stable level 4 to a state-of-the-art facility on Februarius 2," he checked again to see if his son was still paying attention to him.

Although Dearka never looked up at his father, it was apparent he wasn't ignoring what was being said. "You mother has a place set up for the two of you to stay with Annabella and you will be allowed to visit Nora daily. If you have any other questions about the agreement, please have your assistant schedule an appointment to meet with me and we can discuss things further. Other than that, I will give you and your new wife some space. I'll send any updates on appointments and details for you through your assistant though. I wouldn't want to be seen as a burden to your happy little family. I'll be seeing you son," Tad said as he turned to leave.

"What you're too busy to spend anymore time on me? Do you have that many more strings to pull and people to manipulate in your life? And also I think you meant to say your spy, not my assistant," Dearka said mockingly.

"Trust me, it's your assistant, and I don't have to manipulate people. I just give them a choice and my way seems to be in everyone's best interest most of the time," Tad said with a smirk.

"Wait, hold on a minute," Dearka called remembering something.

"What Dearka? I'm a busy man as I said," his father replied exasperated.

"I have a question still. How are you going to pull it off that we were married for so long when everyone on PLANT knows I was engaged to Cadey?" Dearka asked.

"You think someone like me doesn't have all the loose ends tied up? Honestly, I thought you knew I was better than that. It's as simple as the document you're going to sign," his father began.

Dearka looked at his father directly in the eyes. "The document?" he questioned with a look of confusion.

"It is an official document from none other than the Archangel itself from the first war. I have also obtained a copy of a former Commanding officer's signature that was stationed on the ship during your stay with Miss Haw. And using a simulated computer program and all the pieces you come out with an official marriage document from a time of war prior to the conception of your first daughter. As for everything else, you neglected to tell us the situation and we only recently found out about your current marriage to the woman and cancelled all other arrangements accordingly with the White family."

"Well, it seems you've thought of everything haven't you," Dearka said as he saluted his father as a proper ZAFT soldier.

His father now returned his salute and turned to head out the door. His plans were in motion. Dearka and Miriallia just had to wait for the other shoe to drop to find out what he was truly up to.

Dearka followed his fathers' assistant down the hall with all the paperwork in tow. He was finally going to get his wish; he and Miriallia would be married and stay together as a family. _"Well, hopefully,"_ he thought, knowing his father wasn't going to let them off the hook so easily.

The halls were silent with no other patients or doctors to be seen as they reached Miriallia's hospital room. Dearka waited for the assistant to open the door with a pitiful look on his face from having to resort to trusting his father again. He wasn't even sure if he should act happy about their pending marriage.

By allowing his father to present Miriallia with the agreement alone, he had set himself up for the unconfirmed mood she would be in. And that was always dangerous for him when it came to Miriallia and her emotions.

Dearka heard a gasp from the man in front of him and pushed him out of the way. There she was lying on the floor looking weak and fragile. He ran to her as quickly as he could and noticed what she had been up to. "Don't just stand there, get the doctor in here now!" he ordered.

"Yes sir," the assistant said as he scurried out of the room in a panic.

"Honestly Mir, are you TRYING to kill yourself?" He asked knowing she wasn't able to answer. He picked her up in his strong arms and carried her back to the bed, placing her down gently. Pushing the IV set up away from her, he began to disrobe her from her outfit and put her back into the hospital gown.

"Between you and the girls, I'm starting to think I'm not going to be able to keep up," he said as he now pet her forehead gently, trying to wake her from her sleeping state.

"I need you to open your eyes Mir," he said rubbing her arms and earning a small moan from his fiancée. Her eyes began to flutter open gently and she saw her man staring down at her. A small smile crept onto her features.

"Trying to get out of bed again to see Nora?" he asked already knowing the answer. Miriallia began to notice she was in the hospital gown again and smirked at him.

"Trying to get a cheap thrill in the given situation," she teased as the door swung open to reveal the doctor and Councilman Elsmans' assistant not far behind.

"You know that wasn't what I was doing Mir," he replied with offense in his tone as the doctor pushed him out of the way. Dearka turned to see a nurse following behind to assist the doctor, and looked Miriallia up and down.

"Get that IV back in her now," the doctor ordered with annoyance.

Dearka laughed at Miriallia as she shrieked from the pain of the IV being replaced in her hand. "If you keep this up Miss Haw, you are going to have a lot of puncture wounds from us having to re-administering the IV," the doctor scolded.

"I mean really Mir, you could just pull the tube out, you don't have to keep pulling out the needle," Dearka said still laughing at her.

"You think this is funny Elsman!" she snipped.

Dearka looked at her with a more serious expression and answered her question. "No Mir, I don't think it's funny at all. You need to stop moving around so much and you definitely have to stop taking the IV out. It is still treating you for the EAF incident," he said with a scolding tone.

"You heard the Lieutenant, Miss Haw. For your own sake, if you won't listen to us, then would you at least listen to him? He's only looking out for your best interest," the nurse replied as she readjusted the IV flow.

"Great, now I'm getting lectured that I should listen to you from these two," Miriallia said feeling defeated. She was still feeling weak and her head was spinning. Not to mention as much as she fought against her feelings, she still didn't trust all Coordinators. Although, she didn't have the guts to even admit it to Dearka at the present time, knowing it would only hurt his feelings again.

"If you're done trying to escape your hospital room, then I'll give you the update on Nora," Dearka said tossing the papers in her direction. They landed gently on her lap and she looked down at them.

The only thing she had on her mind though was the first part of his comment. "It wouldn't matter if I escaped the hospital room, I still won't be able to escape the prison that has been set up around me," she said sounding bitter.

Dearka waited for the doctor to finish her check-up before commenting on her response to his words. The doctor scurried around and gave the nurse the final instructions before saluting Dearka and heading out the door.

"They salute here too," Miriallia asked just noticing the exchange.

"We are on a military hospital facility Mir. This was the only place I could legitimately take you right now," he answered hinting that his resources had been scarce.

"I see," she replied as she made herself comfortable on the bed. The nurse had been setting up some medications for her and walked over to hand them to her.

"You just need to take these few pills and rest for a while. I'll be back in about an hour to check on you," she stated as she watched Miriallia swallow them without question.

Dearka leaned against the counter in the room with his arms folded in front of him as he waited for the nurse to exit as well. Again with the formalities he stood up straight to return her salute and then went back to his slouched position against the fixture.

He looked over in the direction of his fathers' assistant and noticed someone was still not present. "Shouldn't you be getting OUR new assistant in here," Dearka said in an attempt to rid himself of the man.

"I was going to call them up here, but it seems I've misplaced my phone," he replied patting himself down.

"Then why don't you go get said person?" Dearka asked with annoyance lining his tone and a bit of the spoiled rich boy shining through.

"I would Sir, but I've also been instructed not to allow you to leave my sight for even a moment," the assistant admitted.

"And what am I going to do? It's not like I can take Miriallia and Nora and run before following through with the orders my father has given," Dearka scoffed.

"Yes, I know that Sir, but…" he started.

"Yeah, yeah, what my father says is law to you. Well we can't just sit here and wait for the person to show up without orders. They are waiting as well and since you have no other way to get those orders out to them, you should probably go do it in person," Dearka reprimanded.

The assistant stood still for a moment before realizing, what Dearka had just suggested, was his only option. He didn't know the number by heart to use the hospital rooms' phone and he couldn't have the person paged unless he went to the nurses' station. So his only choice was to break one of the Councilman's orders to fulfill the other. The man dashed out of the room and down the hall and as the door shut, Dearka moved swiftly to Miriallia.

"Tell me you don't have that cell phone," Miriallia said.

"I wish I could," Dearka replied as he dropped it on the floor and kicked it under the bed. He knew there wasn't much time to speak with her before everything they said was reported back to his father.

"Look Mir, if you don't want to go through with this, you don't have to. Just don't sign the papers. Pretend to pass out, stall the process. We can get you and Nora the help you need until I can find a way to contact your parents for help. I know they can pay for all of this and then I'll pay them back when I get our lives sorted out. I swear you can count on me for that," Dearka replied giving her a way out of the cage she felt she was in.

"I know you're trying to save us all, but I don't know how long it would take to accomplish your plan. And, I really can't risk our child's life. Once they come back, you won't be able to play a trick like that twice in order to contact my family," Miriallia replied.

"This isn't how I want it to be between us Miriallia. I don't ever want you to be forced to stay with me to ensure you have access to our children," Dearka said feeling her pain that had been caused by none other than his father.

Her soft hand gently fell to his face in an attempt to wipe away the worry he had. "I know this isn't how you want it to be, but it is, what it is and we will get through it all just fine. I don't have any intention of ever leaving your side again so it's all a moot point anyway. No matter what your father throws at us, I'll be right there with you forever making the agreement practically null and void," she said with a fake smile lining her features.

"You can't fool me Miriallia. I know you're as worried as I am about what his next step to this whole set up is. Do me a favor and at least play sick until we leave this complex and move to the facility that they want to bring Nora to. Give me that much time to try and get a hold of your family," he begged.

They both heard the beeping of the door code being entered and Dearka removed his face from her cupping hand and returned to his position against the counter. "Please, just do this for me and don't open your eyes unless you hear me say to," he begged in a whisper.

Still waiting for a sign of Miriallia's answer, the door swished open and Dearka turned his head to see the people enter. But what he had almost missed was the small nod Miriallia gave him as she closed her eyes and forced herself to look as though she was asleep. A smile filled Dearka's features knowing she had agreed to the stall tactic. She had placed her trust in him once again and he had to make sure not to let her down this time.

"Hey, I think I see your phone," Dearka said with a smart tone as he pointed under the bed.

The man glared at him as Dearka smirked and scooped it up from under the bed. "We need you and Miss Haw to sign the marriage certificate now," the assistant said but hadn't realized Dearka was no longer looking at him.

"You have to be kidding. What the hell are you doing here?" he yelled almost startling Miriallia from her performance of being drugged to sleep.

"I was wondering when you would notice I was here. I'm your new assistant silly," the voice came.

"No way! There is no way you're going to be our assistant! That is just sick and twisted," Dearka cried in anger. He knew his father was going to try to cause problems between him and Miriallia, but this was definitely not what he expected.

_"Not only will my every move be reported to my father, but Cadey and Ian will have all our daily events written down like a stenographer would write a trial,"_ Dearka shuddered at his thought.

"Well I guess I don't need to introduce the two of you," the man said as he handed Dearka the marriage certificate to sign.

"No, we're well acquainted, aren't we Sir," Kelley said with a smirk of her own.

Dearka scoffed at her and looked away to the papers, grabbing the pen from the man's hand. "I can sign this now, but Miriallia is asleep. They gave her some medication and a sedative so I don't know how long she'll be out for," Dearka said scribbling his name down.

"I'll just leave it in Kelley's capable hands then for when she wakes up," the man said as he retrieved the paperwork and handed it to the young woman.

He bowed to the two of them and left the room to find his way back to the Councilman, leaving Dearka and Kelley glaring at each other.

"It must be nice to finally get your way, but just so you know, whatever you're up to, I'll find out. Don't think that little cell phone theft trick will work on me," Kelley said with a small wink.

"I don't know what you're talking about. The man dropped his phone and his big feet must have knocked it under the bed when we came in to find Miriallia lying on the ground. I haven't moved from this spot practically since I was brought here," he replied.

"Yeah, whatever, I don't believe you for a minute. And you, over there playing dead, I know you're really awake. You can pretend all you want, but I'm not as stupid as the Councilman's assistant. You're going to sign these papers whether you want to or not," Kelley stated looking over at Miriallia's still form.

"Leave her alone Kelley, she's asleep," Dearka replied forcefully.

"Yeah well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" Kelley asked making her way toward Dearka.

"I don't exactly know how you plan on doing that," Dearka said sarcastically.

"Maybe I'll do something like this," she replied leaning in to Dearka.

He hadn't expected what she was about to do and before he knew it, he could feel her lips against his. As he began to react, his mouth fell slightly open and he felt her tongue against his. Unintentionally, he kissed her back a little as he was trying to push her away from him. The sound almost made Miriallia cringe from her spot in the bed.

As Kelley was pushed away from him, Dearka was already wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his uniform. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled.

"Nothing, I was just curious to see if she would move or not," Kelley replied with a small laugh.

"That was definitely uncalled for. Not to mention, we don't even like each other in the slightest. I'm lucky Miriallia is asleep, she'd probably kill us both for your little stunt," Dearka said trying to sound convincing.

Although, he knew she was probably fuming in her place and he had no way to counteract the attack he just received on his character.

"True, but I'll give you one thing, you are a great kisser whether you try to be or not. Cadey was right about that at least," Kelley said earning a grunt of anger from Dearka.

He knew what she was trying to do by bringing up Cadey's name now and he wasn't going to fall for it. "Even if Miriallia was awake, it wouldn't matter what you said about Cadey. I've told her everything there is to know about my past with her. And that's just what it is, the past. You can tell her that at your next pow-wow you two setup that tells her everything I'm up to these days," Dearka said leaning against the counter once more and staring at her in silence.

"We'll just see about that Dearka," Kelley said with a gleam of vengeance in her eyes.


	18. Allusion

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 18**

Allusion

"Then you won't mind if we talk about Cadey right now. It must have been nice to spend one last night with her not so long ago. You certainly are a player aren't you?" Kelley coaxed trying to get a reaction out of both people in the room.

"Kelley, shut up, you don't know what you're talking about and you're just trying to get a rise out of me," Dearka admonished her.

"Oh so it wasn't you on the Voltaire in the bed with her that I saw then? It must have been her _other_ fiancée that looks so much like you," she provoked.

Now this was something that actually peaked Dearka's interest. _ "What exactly does she know? What happened between Cadey and I was on that ship and there's no way Kelley was there. No, she's just trying to get me to admit to it in front of Miriallia. She only knows what Cadey said happened. As long as I deny it, Miriallia will believe me over her," _he thought with confusion.

"Kelley cut it out, she's not even awake. So if you're trying to tear us apart, shouldn't you wait until she signs the papers so my father gets what he wants?" Dearka asked moving to the recliner in the room and making himself comfortable.

"I guess you're right, but I really have my own agenda. I could care less that your father wants to separate you. I only signed up for this for Cadey's sake. After all, she loves you God help her, and she wants only you. So, I'm here to see if you and Miss Miriallia really are destined to be together as people are beginning to think," Kelley stated.

"What? People meaning Ian?" Dearka pried hoping slightly that he and Ian could finally get over the fight their friendship had suffered from.

Even Dearka was starting to miss his closest friends. Yzak and Shiho were really the only two he felt he could even count on as he watched others turn away from him due to the situation.

It was also hard for him to believe that Kelley wasn't here for his father. And Cadey was certainly the last person he ever wanted to see again. She had been nothing but trouble since he met her. But something inside made him still feel somewhat attached to her. He had been agitated when Ian tried to suggest he would go after her if Dearka weren't interested anymore.

"It doesn't matter how much you deny it, you love two women and you may think it's a clear choice because you have kids with one, but somehow I think this girl isn't half the woman Cadey is. Cadey is one of the most beautiful, yet dangerous women on PLANT. And we all know how Dearka Elsman loves danger and beautiful women for that matter," Kelley prodded.

"Are you done yet?" Dearka asked infuriated. He hated that Miriallia was lying there pretending to be asleep while being subjected to Kelley's big mouth. The last thing he needed was her doubting his love for her.

"I'll take safe and sweet over dangerous and beautiful any day of the week Kell" he said trying to calm his emotions down.

Miriallia squeezed her eyes tighter. She was so angry at the last comment that she almost opened her eyes to scream at him. _"Is that what he thinks of me, safe and sweet? And since when is Cadey more beautiful than I am? Or does he really think she's that stunning? Damn him," _she thought trying to continue her act.

Dearka hadn't known such words would upset Miriallia and he had no idea of the repercussions that would follow. To him, it was a simple compliment, but to her, it hadn't been. It was actually a little hurtful that he thought she was just safe and sweet. It sounded to her as though he was saying life with her would be easier than if he were with Cadey and that's why he chose her. _"I'm far from being easy to live with Dearka Elsman," _she thought still riling herself up.

"Honestly Dearka, do you really think you can go through with your fathers' plans for you?" Kelley asked sincerely.

"It's not as hard as it seems. I love the woman lying in the bed over there and nothing is going to change that. And to tell you the truth, I wasn't so sure about being a father at first, but it's kind of grown on me and I think I'm pretty good at it. I can't even imagine my life without them in it now. So yeah, I can easily go through with his plans. That is, as long as he doesn't do anything to ruin it," Dearka said playing along.

The last thing he wanted was to make Kelley suspicious of his true goal today. But Kelley did look at him suspiciously before speaking again despite his attempt to throw her off his trail. "You better not just be saying that because she's still awake over there," she said with an evil glare.

"She's not awake and I really mean it," Dearka insisted.

"I don't know, this life, it just doesn't seem like you," she said still curious as to what drove him to do what he did.

"You're right, it's not the me that you know. The person you are so use to, that rich playboy that could do whatever he wanted, disappeared after the first war only to be brought back out when I was forced into the arrangement with Cadey. Cadey always complicates things and I tended to fall into my old habits because I think I was silently rebelling. As for how do I know which one I love more? Well, the answer is simple; only one woman has ever broken those habits of mine and that woman is Miriallia. You know this may sound crazy, but she did try to kill me once with a knife, and then saved me less than a minute later from another girl who tried to shoot me with a gun," Dearka said.

"So, what? Do you feel indebted to her or something? Maybe that's the real reason you're acting like this," Kelley provoked.

"No it's not that. It's just that it was the first time I felt the way I feel around her. I was actually concerned about how she felt and whether or not she would make it through the war alive. And that's why I defected in the first place. I wasn't in it like Athrun was, to protect everyone. I just wanted to protect her. It was a little selfish, but she's what made me fight so hard and the reason I had to turn my gun on Yzak as well," Dearka stated.

"So are you trying to say it's Cadey's fault that you turned into a jerk again after the war because you were rebelling against your father? And you can't deny you fell for her in the end," Kelley pointed out trying to bring the conversation back around to what she really wanted to talk about.

"I never said it was Cadey's fault. I just said she complicated things for me. I know it was all me in the end, and maybe with what happened to her that day just reminded me of Miriallia. I risked my life to protect Cadey the same way I had Miriallia and it felt familiar. Then there was the fact that she let me get away with whatever I wanted and never questioned me. I didn't ever feel like I was in a real relationship with how she let me freely do my own thing. That's why I think I stayed with Cadey for so long," he said recalling how he felt the night he saved Cadey from those dark cold waters and her ability to look the other way from all his indiscretions.

"I love how you say that you could freely do your own thing. When really all she did was sit back while you screwed around with other women. To this day, I still don't know why she let you get away with it. You are such a jerk, you know that?" Kelley said getting herself upset.

"Calm down Kell, it's been a long time since that happened between Cadey and I. On top of that, she practically gave me permission. Not that it was any excuse for me going ahead and doing it, but it happened and it's over and I didn't do it the entire time we were together. I just meant I could do whatever I wanted with my life and she didn't complain about it. Only you would bring up that part of our past," Dearka scolded knowing she was only trying to protect her best friends' feelings.

Kelley had already felt bad enough knowing what everyone was up to. After his speech, she felt even guiltier about the way his father was going about things and decided there was only one thing to do, the honorable thing. Something she rarely did when Cadey and Ian were concerned.

"I'll make a deal with you. I won't tell Cadey, Ian or your father anything that happens today. But, your girl over there has to stop pretending to be asleep and you have to stop being so sappy. I kind of like the bad boy side of you and miss it from when you first left PLANT. I'll give you the rest of the day to put whatever your little plan is in motion, but from tomorrow on, I'm going to start doing my job. You know I've never liked it when people don't play fair. I can't really tell you what all of them have planned, but I can give you time to prepare yourselves. It's your move hot shot," she said as she tossed her phone to him.

Dearka could see the sincerity in her eyes. "One day huh?" he repeated.

"Yup, take it or leave it. If I were you I would take it though, I've pretty much told you what they were up to earlier, but I don't think you were listening closely enough. Eh, your loss," she said shrugging her shoulders and walking to the other chair across the way.

Dearka's eyes narrowed as he tried to think what it was she said to give him a clue what they were up to. _"All she said was she knows about that night with Cadey. But that's not strange since she and Cadey are best friends. I can't imagine that it makes a difference that people claim to know. In the given situation, Miriallia wouldn't believe it anyway," _he thought as he flipped open the phone.

"Hey I thought you were going to have her open her eyes already. That was part of the deal," Kelley fussed.

"I told you, she's sleeping. It's not my problem if you thought I was lying. You can wake her up yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it. She's not very nice when someone tries to wake her up for anything," Dearka said with a wink.

"Yeah, you would know, sick-o," she said understanding the innuendo in his comment.

_"Just in case, I have to make sure that Kelley doesn't know what I'm up to. So the only way to do that is to go through Yzak again. God, he's going to kill me once he hears we need to put this plan in motion,"_ he thought dialing to connect to the Voltaire.

**On the Voltaire…**

"Sir, you have an incoming call from Lieutenant Elsman on the military base hospital," Marie announced over the communicator.

"Are you serious? Can't that guy do anything on his own without getting into trouble?" Yzak asked in agitation.

"Would you just answer the call?" Shiho snipped as she flipped to the next page of her magazine.

They were both in his office and Shiho had made herself comfortable on a reclining chair she had brought in from the Rec room. She had been tired of having nowhere comfortable to sit while she was off duty and Yzak was working on his paperwork so she forced some of the soldiers to drag it down the way. Knowing she was their Commander's girlfriend, they did as they were told without question and the fear evident in their eyes.

Her legs were over one side of the chair as she used the other side to lean her back up against. It hadn't looked very cozy to Yzak, but Shiho was just small enough that she fit perfectly in the cushions.

"What could you possibly want?" Yzak yelled over the connection.

Dearka knew he would be angry, but he definitely didn't expect this reaction. "I needed you to do that thing you said you would do for me," Dearka hinted.

He was still being watched by Kelley and no matter what she said, he couldn't be too careful what details he gave out while she was in the vicinity.

"Huh? You get yourself into trouble again?" Yzak asked with a smirk now lining his face. It did amuse him when his friend had to beg for help. Although for some reason it wasn't as much fun today as it usually was. There was something missing in his plead.

"Look I can't explain…anything. I just need you to do what you promised," Dearka replied still eyeing Kelley the way she was eyeing him.

"And where should I tell them you will be when they arrive?" Yzak asked curiously.

"It's not that simple. I can't be there," Dearka said in code.

"I don't know what the hell he's talking about," Yzak said exasperated. He didn't understand what Dearka was trying to say or even what he wanted him to do.

"Is there someone there with you right now Dearka that you don't want to know what you're up to?" Shiho yelled from her spot, never looking up from her magazine.

"Why aren't you as smart as she is?" Dearka asked scathingly.

"Shut up or I won't help you at all. So someone is in the room with you and you don't want them to know what you want me to do, is that it?" Yzak repeated Shiho's suggestion.

"YES! And I only have a day to figure it all out," Dearka snipped.

"Right, well you should get yourself organized and I'll talk to you later," Yzak said as he clicked the communication shut.

"Do you think he'll understand your code? I mean, you didn't understand his" Shiho asked nonchalantly in order to tease him.

"You're not funny Shiho," Yzak said as he tapped the papers he was working on together into a neat bundle on the desk.

"I'm just saying, you two tend to have communication issues when you try to speak in code. I mean look at you for example," she said now smiling to herself.

"Ha, ha, ha. You really are enjoying this aren't you," Yzak scolded.

"Just a little," she said squishing her thumb and pointer together to sign to him.

"I can't believe I have to call that Naturals family and get them here in a day. Like I don't have other things to worry about, you know, something important like being on the front lines of a war," Yzak snapped as he picked up the communicator again and had Marie work her magic.

"You know, you aren't even going to really do anything except meet the people. You leave poor Marie to do all the work and then you take all the credit," Shiho said as she flipped to another page.

"Well, it's my job to boss the little people around. You wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't sitting here barking orders at you," Yzak said knowing it would tick her off the way she was doing to him.

"That's it, you're on the couch tonight," Shiho replied as she closed her magazine and left the room without even getting into the full argument he was trying to start with her. She was so angry at his comment that she felt he wasn't worth her time.

"Hey wait!" Yzak cried trying to get her to come back. That was a reaction he hadn't expected from her. Before he could even stand up to give chase, Marie reappeared on the console.

"Sir, I have set up the meeting like you requested. I will be bringing the Haw family in by early evening," Marie replied to her task.

"Wow, that was quick," Yzak said.

"Well, it's what you pay me for Sir," she said with a smile.

"Thank you Marie," Yzak replied sincerely.

"Sir, can I ask you a question though before I sign off?" Marie interjected on his thoughts.

"For the woman who can get anything I ask done in a matter of moments, of course, ask away," Yzak replied with a softer tone than even Shiho was used to hearing from him.

"Is Lieutenant Elsman okay?" Marie asked.

She had been the one who was always the link to Yzak and Shiho helping Dearka out of the fixes he got himself into as of late and she was also the one that was trusted to never open her mouth about any of the incidents. They never thought about how large her role was in their lives and tended to leave her by the wayside, even with how much she did for him.

"I guess we take you for granted don't we?" Yzak asked.

"Sir?" Marie said with confusion.

"Most people would have given up everything we've been up to, using our military positions for our own personal gain, but not you. So before I answer your question, I need you to answer mine. Why are you so loyal to us and why haven't you told anyone what we've been up too when they've questioned you?" Yzak asked the intruding question.

"I…" she started.

"Look, I'll tell you everything if you tell me why you are so loyal," Yzak urged.

A small blush formed on her face and Yzak nodded his head in the realization of what was making her flush to pink.

"Right, Elsman has one more admirer to add to his list, doesn't he?" Yzak replied answering his own question.

Marie's face turned a deeper shade of crimson as her hands flew to her face in an attempt to cover up her embarrassment.

"He'll be fine Marie. We'll all make sure of that," Yzak stated giving her the strength to drop her hands from her face and look at her Commander again.

"I'm sorry, I don't intend on ruin anything he has. It's just…" she began again.

"A crush, I get it. Don't worry, I won't tell him. Besides, I know you'll find someone that's more intriguing to you than Dearka could ever hope to be someday soon. For now, we'll keep it between us," Yzak said with a smile and earning a nod from his subordinate.

"Yes Sir, and thank you for the update," she said saluting him.

The monitor flashed off and Yzak shook his head. "How do you get so many girls to turn their heads in your direction? I just don't get it," he said to himself quietly while gathering up his papers.

He made sure to lock down his computer and lock up all the remaining files that weren't going to go with him and started heading toward the door.

_"I guess I better smooth things over with Shiho before dealing with his girls' parents,"_ Yzak thought as he walked out and down the hall toward the Rec room.

It was the only place he could think she would be after her reaction to his comment. She avoided going to his quarters when she was upset and he didn't think she had stepped foot in her own room since they had been stationed on the Voltaire. _"This will be interesting,"_ he thought again, making his way down to pick her up.


	19. Admission

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 19**

Admission

**6 hours later…**

Yzak and Shiho stood at the arrival gate at the junction to the PLANT shuttles. It was the last place Yzak wanted to be, but the only place he felt forced to, thanks to his pal.

"Shouldn't this shuttle be here by now?" he asked dancing in his spot.

Yzak was definitely not one to wait patiently for anything. Just the thought of wasting his time in the shuttle port was enough to make him tear his hair right out of his scalp.

"Would you stop acting so antsy? They'll think there's something wrong with you when they arrive," Shiho scolded.

It was obvious the young Commander was frustrated with Shiho's perception of his demeanor. He remembered Dearka telling him how to him, Miriallia's father seemed like quite a callous man.

Shiho walked in front and turned to face him. A small blush formed across his face as she gently fixed his uniform and brushed the wrinkles away. She was always good like that. Although she would act as if she was not the mothering type, it was apparent to anyone she was more prone to the maternal instincts that were inherent to her.

"They may not be Coordinators, but I heard from Marie that Miriallia's father is somewhat of an important figurehead in Orb. We should make as good an impression on him as we can for Dearka's sake. Maybe it will help if he sees that Dearka has responsible and respectful friends by his side," Shiho said knowingly.

"Yeah I know, but this is a little much to ask of us isn't…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Shiho had turned and noticed a couple that looked slightly lost. Immediately seeing the resemblance to Miriallia, she dashed away from a confused Yzak.

Yzak followed promptly but remained behind Shiho, allowing her to make first contact. After all, he didn't see the need to get his hands dirty, or so he told himself. The fact of the matter was that Shiho may have been as nervous about meeting with Naturals as he was, but she tended to keep her cool better in these types of situations than he ever could.

"Are you, by any chance, the Haws?" Shiho asked politely as she approached the couple.

"Yes, we are. I take it you are the person that will bring us to our daughter and grandchildren?" Mrs. Haw answered in a sweet but uncertain tone.

"Yes, my name is Lieutenant Hahnenfuss, I'm a co-pilot of Lieutenant Elsman's and this is our commanding officer, Commander Joule," she replied introducing themselves.

"Great, more soldiers," Mr. Haw said rudely.

Yzak bit his tongue when he heard the man speak. Every part of him wanted to tell him off and rub his superiority in the man's face, but for the sake of Dearka he remained quiet.

Mr. Haw felt a light elbow in his gut and looked scathingly at his wife. "I apologize for my husband, it's been…a long trip," she said trying to make up for his comments and extending her hand to greet the young soldiers.

"Please, don't apologize, we take no offense," Shiho said kindly.

It was beginning to make Yzak sick. She wasn't even this friendly to other commanding officers and here she was pretending to be as sweet as sugar to these complete strangers.

After a moment of silence, Shiho spoke again. "Well, shall we get going? Did you have any other bags or is this all you brought with you?" she asked.

"This is all we brought. We wanted to get to our daughter as soon as possible," Mrs. Haw expressed with a slight bit of enthusiasm that she was that much closer to seeing her child again.

It was now Shiho's turn to nudge at her counterpart. As sparks of realization shined in his eyes, Yzak stepped forward. "Allow me to take those for you ma'am," he said holding out his hand for the couples' bags.

"Thank you," she replied as both she and her husband relinquished control of the belongings.

After another moment of awkward silence, Shiho turned and began to walk toward the exit. "Then follow me this way please. It won't take too long to get to the military hospital your daughter is currently at," she said as they made their way out.

**At the military hospital…**

"What are you doing?" Kelley asked agitated with Dearka as she watched him constantly flip his phone open and closed.

"Waiting," he replied with no explanation.

"For what?" she coaxed.

"Miriallia to wake up," he said realizing she had actually fallen asleep while playing the role of Sleeping Beauty.

"You know the minute she wakes up I'm supposed to collect her signature on those documents," she stated in an attempt to grab his attention.

The phone flipped closed with more force releasing a clapping noise. "Yup," was all he said.

"Wow, no yelling? No telling me that I promised to wait until tomorrow to follow through with your father's orders. Do you really have an ace up your sleeve, or are you just acting as if you do?" Kelley asked.

Dearka's eyes shifted from his phone and locked on to hers. "You know me better than that," he said with a wink, "I'm always a step ahead."

"Yeah well, I wish I didn't know you that well," she huffed as she looked away from him for a split second only to have her eyes drawn back to his handsome features.

Realizing he had made her uncomfortable, he decided to continue with their conversation for his own amusement. "I find it interesting, what you said earlier about me cheating on Cadey and how angry you were that she put up with it all, when you were no better," he said never taking his eyes off her.

"Yeah, so what?" she asked squirming uncomfortably under his glare.

"You still haven't told either of them, have you?" he asked.

Kelley's face flushed a crimson red. That was the last memory she wanted to relive and she definitely didn't want to speak at length with the person it had happened with.

"Of course not, she would never let you get within a hundred feet of me if she knew and Ian would have killed me a long time before we began fighting over Miriallia," he answered his own question.

"I didn't do it to deliberately hurt them," Kelley defended.

"I don't know what your true intentions were that day, but can you really sit here and lecture me on what a cad I am and how all you want to do is protect Cadey when you haven't even told her the truth yet? And poor Ian, how does he figure in all of this?" he coaxed.

"She doesn't need to know. It's better if she doesn't. It's the only way to protect her. And it's not worth hurting Ian anymore than I already have," Kelley said defiantly with a fire burning in her eyes.

"Right, is that how you've been able to sleep at night?" Dearka asked.

"What's with you anyway? You were as much a part of it as I was. And you agreed with me that it wasn't something we should ever tell them about," Kelley said angrily.

"But I'm not the one pretending that I am still her best friend after what happened," he said pausing to watch her reaction.

"I'm not pretending, it was a mistake and I'm just trying to protect her," Kelley reiterated.

"I'm beginning to wonder whom you're REALLY trying to protect and why you are truly angry about my indiscretions?" he stated.

"It's not like you came out and said anything about it either. And you had as much to lose friendship wise as I did," she replied as a form of retaliation.

"Because you asked me not to. And because, I'm not the kind of guy that is going to destroy a friendship over something so fleeting, one of yours or mine," he said again.

"Fleeting, huh? Don't think just because you're keeping our little secret that I'm going to do whatever you want in exchange for your silence. I don't answer well to blackmail Elsman," she warned.

"Now that's comical, using the word blackmail when that's exactly what you and my father are doing to me. I never said I was using it to blackmail you. Since you seem so desperate to talk to me about something I decided now was as good a time as any to finally figure you out. For someone who swears she hates me so much, it amuses me that it was you who jumped me, and not the other way around," he reminisced.

"Don't pretend I wasn't just another notch on that belt of yours Elsman. I'm not that naïve," she said.

"Or maybe it was really that I was another notch on yours," he insinuated still trying to see if that night meant anything to her.

"Even to this day, it would destroy her. You and I both know that and I don't even want to get started on how there would be no coming back from it for you if Ian ever found out. I'm sure you two have a chance to reconcile your differences still," Kelley said looking at him venomously.

Kelley was furious with Dearka. This was not something she was in the mood to discuss. It was because of him that her relationship with Ian had broken down in the first place. It was because of him that she had to tiptoe around Cadey every time Dearka's name was mentioned with the fear that her face may give away what she felt for the young man.

"I know what you're thinking. I've finally figured out why you hate me so much. But really, you have no one to blame but yourself. You offered, I accepted, it's as simple as that," Dearka responded to the fiery look in her eyes.

"I only offered because…" Kelley paused.

She felt so agitated at the line of questioning. What good did it do Dearka now anyway? It's not like it really mattered to him. He got what he wanted too that night and it's obvious that he's already moved on.

"I didn't even want you, I did it to teach Ian a lesson," she replied grumpily in an attempt to change her story.

"Some lesson you taught him. He dumped you within moments of finding out you cheated on him. Somehow I don't even think that was the real reason why you did it, regardless of what you just said," he replied still continuing with the conversation.

Kelley looked back up at him with annoyance. "It's funny how you are so desperate to keep Miriallia away from Ian because you are afraid of him stealing her from you, when you did the same thing to him and he doesn't even know," she said with an evil glint in her eye.

"I did no such thing. I wasn't the one that initiated our little rendezvous and I never tried to keep you afterwards," Dearka defended.

"Yeah well, you could have stopped it if you really wanted to," she replied rationally.

Dearka wasn't the type to allow the tables to turn on him so easily. Before she could even get another jab in, he responded to her comment.

"So what was it that made you want me so badly that night? Did you intentionally want to hurt Cadey and Ian and let's try this again with the truth this time," Dearka asked.

"Fine, I know it sounds silly and childishly competitive, but I guess that was part of it. And maybe you're right; I am still being a bit selfish. I was protecting the two of us more than either of them when I asked you not to say anything at the time. But now I know it will destroy her. Look at everything she's done to win you back. I couldn't tell her even if I wanted to. And you and I both know if Ian ever found out the man I was with was you that night, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you with his bare hands. You two have been at each other's throats for some time now and this would be the last straw for him," Kelley replied.

"I thought as much, it was obvious you weren't interested in me in the least after that day, so I always wondered what your angle had been after we hooked up," he said still trying to weed out her true feelings.

"I never said I wasn't interested in you," she shot back quickly.

"Bingo," he said with a wink.

She was fed up with him. He had tricked her once again so easily. It had to be his charm. That was the only thing she could contribute her loose tongue to.

"Oh fine, there, you caught me, are you happy? I'm just another girl that's infatuated with you. Why don't you add me to that long list of yours? I'm mad that you were with all those other girls and not for Cadey's sake, but for my own. And I never told Ian whom I was with because I don't want to see you get physically hurt. I love Ian, but for some reason unbeknownst to me, I lust for you," she said.

"So I'm guessing all this animosity towards me and my nights with the other girls is because had you really been in Cadey's place, you wouldn't have stood for it. Am I right?" Dearka replied ignoring the fact that Kelley just admitted she would practically jump him again if given the chance.

"I guess I look a little foolish, pretending that I could even be in the same league as she is, but yeah, if I had been in her place at the time, which I still wish I was, I wouldn't have let you get away with the things you did back then," she stated.

"You're really not far from her league. Think about it, even YOU know I don't sleep with every girl that passes by, just the gorgeous, interesting ones. You said it yourself, Dearka Elsman loves beauty and danger all wrapped into one," he said trying to lift her spirits.

"Hey, thanks for never saying anything to either of them, by the way. But even if you say something now…" she began.

"I know, I know, you'll deny it since she doesn't trust me right now anyway and Ian will just think I'm trying to get him back for the whole mess with Miriallia," he answered.

"I'm not the only one who seems to be denying things these days," she responded to his look tossing her own glance at Miriallia who was lying peacefully in the bed.

"I didn't sleep with Cadey on the ship, so you can stop thinking about it now," Dearka lied through his teeth.

"Fine, stick with your story, but if you did, my suggestion is that you tell Miriallia what really happened before she finds out on her own. The truth always has a way of coming out," Kelley said remembering the video Cadey showed her that Dearka didn't know existed.

"If the truth always comes out, then you and I will have a bigger problem in the future, don't you think?" Dearka asked speaking about their little tryst.

"I guess you're right, but I'm not really ready to deal with all of that right now and I can tell that you aren't either. Look let's just call a truce okay. I won't be so rude in person to you if you can just hold your tongue a little longer," she offered.

Dearka looked directly into her eyes and saw she was being sincere. Having had his say on the subject and weaseling her true feelings out of her, he shook his head in agreement.

"I do, however, have to follow through with my orders. When she wakes up, I need to have her sign these papers now. I know I changed your deadline, but you've already mentioned you have everything you need in order so there shouldn't be a problem with that. Anything that happens from here on out though, I have to report to your father. I hope you understand," Kelley said now sounding like the professional spy his father had set in place and yet still rolling her eyes at his previous statement about not sleeping with Cadey recently.

"I understand. So back to business I guess. It's obvious you don't believe me about the whole Cadey thing. That just leaves me wondering why? So are you planning on telling me or really watching the man you seduced go down in flames in front of you. After all, it wasn't like I was the one using you, so there is no real need for revenge against me," Dearka begged.

Kelley paused for another moment thinking about what Cadey had showed her. The video Kelley had been subjected to was extremely graphic and a few times it made her face blush. Cadey had believed Kelley was blushing because it was a little too revealing and more than she needed to know about her friends' sex life. In reality, it wasn't the recording that had made Kelley so hot and bothered, but the memories that flashed momentarily that she had relived from being with the same man.

Kelley sighed, knowing he was right. She had no reason to hate him so much. He never did anything as horrible as she had done to Cadey herself. Other than their intimate night together, Cadey knew about every girl Dearka had been with during their arrangement and the only reason she didn't know about their encounter is because she asked Dearka not to say anything in order to protect her friendship with her.

The moment it was over, she realized she made a huge mistake. Although she wanted to strike back at her friend who seemed to have the perfect life, she had never intended on dragging Dearka down the path of destruction with her even if she had wished she were the one in his bed every night.

"Dearka, there's…" before another word could come from her mouth, the door opened to the room revealing an extremely agitated Yzak and Mr. Haw, a calm Shiho and a desperate Mrs. Haw.

Dearka stood from his seat and dropped his cell phone behind him.

"Who is this?" Kelley asked with a bit of a shriek.

"The cavalry," Dearka said with a smirk.

Mrs. Haw walked by the three in the doorway and up to Dearka to give him a hug. "I'm so glad to see you are really doing all right," she said with a motherly tone.

"I'm doing as well as can be expected with both Miriallia and Nora in the hospital," Dearka replied.

"Nora?" Mrs. Haw asked with a smile filling her features.

"Yeah, we named her Nora Deanna. I hope that's all right?" Dearka replied.

"Of course it's all right. What a silly thing to ask me. She's your daughter after all. We would love any name the two of you gave our little granddaughter," she said making her way toward Miriallia's bed.

Mrs. Haw pulled her sleek black leather gloves off and placed them into her purse. As soon as they were secure, she slipped the bag to the ground and unwrapped her faux fur coat. She never had the stomach to keep a real one as many of her friends had, her conscience just couldn't allow it.

"I'm surprised you haven't killed my daughter yet with all your antics," Mr. Haw grumbled as he made his way to Miriallia as well.

"No, but I'll keep trying," Dearka said defiantly earning a glare from Mr. Haw.

Mrs. Haw just shook her head at the two men as she reached for her daughters' hand. Knowing Kelley wouldn't approach them with the agreement while Miriallia's parents in the room, he allowed them to wake her from her slumber. Yzak and Shiho just stared at Dearka who was watching the Haws interaction with their sleeping child.

As he turned his head, he walked over to his two friends. "Thanks," he said.

"Well, we're still unsure of what's going on here," Shiho replied.

"Yeah, why were you so desperate to get the Haws here in the first place?" Yzak asked.

Kelley walked over to the group feeling a little uncomfortable with the new set of people in the room and handed Yzak a copy of the agreement that Miriallia was meant to sign.

Dearka looked at her still confused about her true intentions, but gave her a polite smile as a way to thank her.

"Wow, a bit intense. So, what's his real motive behind having the two of you sign this?" Yzak asked.

"I'm guessing he wants us married, because in another document that we already both agreed to and signed, Miriallia will relinquish custody of the children to me if she leaves me for any reason once we're married," Dearka answered.

"Meaning he probably has a way to separate the two of you not long after you get married to one another," Shiho replied.

"Exactly. The problem is, I don't know what it is that he has waiting in the wings that could destroy our relationship," Dearka stated.

Yzak looked over to Kelley and then back at Dearka. "But you do, don't you Kelley?" he asked still looking at Dearka's features.

He didn't even need to look in her direction to tell she was feeling uncomfortable. Dearka now looked over to the girl and squinted. "Are you really going to stand there after the conversation we just had and let my father ruin me like this?" Dearka asked.

"I…" she began.

"Kelley, come on," Shiho interjected.

"But I…" she tried to get the words out again.

Before they could pressure her anymore, they all felt the ominous presence of Mr. Haw looming over them. It sent chills down all their spines when he spoke to them with his cold icy tone. Dearka turned around to meet the glare of the man he so despised.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Mr. Haw asked after speaking with his daughter.

Dearka looked over to see her eyes sparkling with a few tears and a lot of fear.

"Don't look at her, look at me when I ask you a question," Mr. Haw demanded.

Dearka's eyes shifted back to the man in front of him now. "The meaning of what Sir?" he asked trying to decipher what Miriallia had already told him.

"You and your father have another thing coming if you think you're going to take my daughter's children away from her!" he shrieked in anger.

"Well, technically, it's only if she leaves me of her own accord," Dearka corrected with a hint of sarcasm.

Part of him didn't even want Mr. Haw there. He had really wished that he could have just Mrs. Haw to help them out of this jam, but he knew Mr. Haw might be his only hope. The one thing that bothered him though, was the fact that he was insulted by the words that came out of Mr. Haw's mouth. After all, they were his children too and he had every right to them, as much as Miriallia did.

Knowing this wasn't the place to bring that up, especially since he wasn't planning on actually fighting Miriallia for custody of the children since his plan was for them to stay together anyway, he opted to keep his mouth shut on the subject.

"From what I know about you, it won't take her long to leave someone as pathetic as you are!" he bellowed.

"Daddy, that's enough," came Miriallia's calm, collected voice.

Everyone stopped and looked in her direction. Even Dearka thought her voice sounded too peaceful given the situation.

"Dearka, would you bring my mother down to see Nora. I'd like a moment alone with my father," Miriallia continued ignoring the looks she was receiving.

"Sure thing," he said snapping his head to the side to indicate he wanted the others to leave the room too.

Mrs. Haw gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and then walked toward the exiting group. As she glided by her husband she mouthed something inaudible to everyone but Mr. Haw and continued to the door.

Dearka sent a smile Miriallia's way and she returned it. He paused for a moment before he twisted on his heel to follow everyone else's lead. Feeling his soon-to-be father in law's eyes burning into him, he continued forward. He knew it agitated Mr. Haw that the two of them had become so close again and Dearka was enjoying every moment of it.

As the door swished shut, she looked at her father the tears now uncontrollably falling from her eyes. "Please daddy, Dearka and I, we need your help."

**ICU Hallway…**

"Can we come too Dearka?" Shiho asked with a sense of excitement.

"Would you cut it out, you sound like a giddy school girl," Yzak reprimanded.

Shiho smacked him in the arm making Mrs. Haw laugh gently to herself.

"Uh…if it's all right with Mrs. Haw and the ICU nurses, then I don't see a problem," Dearka said ignoring Yzak's comment and Shiho's abuse.

Mrs. Haw realized it was her cue to speak. "Of course it's all right with me. You have all taken such good care of my daughter and any friend of hers is a friend of mine," she said sweetly.

"God, she really is as nice as you told us," Yzak said earning another smack from Shiho.

"We're really sorry, sometimes he just says whatever's in his head before thinking of how it may sound," Shiho said regretfully.

"No need to apologize to me, I've had many years of experience with a similar man. It's only because that type is passionate about getting their message out loud and clear," she said with a small smile.

Shiho and Dearka laughed under their breath as Yzak stopped in his tracks.

_"Was I just insulted or complimented?"_ he thought unsure of how to take her reply.

Deciding to shrug it off, since he could tell how fond Dearka was of her, he caught back up to the group.

"He really doesn't like you, does he?" Yzak asked Dearka already knowing the answer.

"Would you like someone like me if you had a daughter in this position?" Dearka asked.

"Touché," Yzak replied.

Mrs. Haw felt sad for the group that had only seen the overprotective father side of him since the moment they arrived. Her husband wasn't nearly as frightful as they all seemed to think and she knew somewhere deep inside, he didn't really hate Dearka as much as he played himself off to.

She remained quiet as they continued down the hall. It wasn't her place to interrupt the private conversation between the two friends. But she could see why her daughter insisted on staying with Dearka up in space as opposed to Orb. Miriallia had more supportive people her age around her there than she did at home.

"Hey where's Kelley?" Shiho noticed as they made it to the nurses' station.

"Probably off reporting my every move to my father about now," Dearka replied before breaking away from the group to get admittance into the room.

"He's not going to be happy when he hears about this, is he?" Shiho said to Yzak.

"Somehow I think the Haws can handle themselves," Yzak answered as he looked on to the sweet woman standing next to them.

Mrs. Haw looked at him, overhearing what he had said. "I'm not wrong, am I? You're probably the person Councilman Elsman should really be more wary of," Yzak said with no regard for the rules of common courtesy.

Mrs. Haw had a sly grin on her face and was amazed at how well this young man could read her. Although Dearka hadn't noticed it, she was definitely a force to be reckoned with and if he though Mr. Haw was overprotective of Miriallia, he hadn't seen anything yet. She had no intention of allowing Dearka's father to drag them or her grandchildren through hell for his own reputation.

She hadn't been a homemaker her entire life and could hold her own in a room full of boardroom sharks. One Councilman wasn't much of a challenge for her. A spark of her former life flashed in her eyes as her attention returned to the two young adults in front of her.

It had been obvious to Yzak with the way she handled her husband on their trip to the hospital, that she wasn't as sweet as she seemed. In a way, she reminded him a lot of Shiho, just older with more life experiences that had probably subdued her own temper. He could just imagine Shiho was probably on the same path as Miriallia's mom and he was getting an early glimpse of what she may be like in the future.

"If pushed hard enough, I am the person he should be more cautious of. But as I said, only if I'm pushed," Mrs. Haw replied.

With that said, she excused herself and headed near Dearka as he waited for the clearance to enter the ward. Both Shiho and Yzak felt a shudder run down their spines. "And you thought she was so sweet," Shiho said.

"Not me, I was just going by what Dearka had told me. I don't think he knows that woman has a dark side to her yet. She hides it extremely well," Yzak said.

"It figures you would be the one to bring it out of hiding," Shiho scolded with a smirk.

"Hey, she had me snowed not too long ago too," he said defending himself.

"She must really be fond of Dearka despite the choices he and Miriallia have made if he hasn't seen this side of her yet," Shiho replied.

"Guess his charms worked on her too," Yzak said grabbing Shiho's hand and pulling her toward their friend as the doors to the ICU began to open.

"Well, he is somewhat irresistible," Shiho snickered.

Yzak raised his eyebrows at her comment.

"What? I said somewhat irresistible, not completely," she defended.

"Sometimes you make me wonder if I should leave the two of you alone," Yzak said pulling her forward without allowing her to get another word in edge wise.

The group headed down the hallway to see the baby girl and how she was fairing with the treatments and doctors Dearka's father had set up for her. Only time would tell if everything Dearka and Miriallia were about to give up was worth it.


	20. Confrontation

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 20**

Confrontation

Dearka walked down the hall toward his daughters' room. Although he wasn't allowed to enter it as of yet, the nurse would leave the blinds pulled back for him to look in on his little girl.

"She's just adorable," Mrs. Haw said with sincerity and clapped her hands together softly. Love was flickering in her eyes as her gaze danced across the newborns features.

Shiho was pressed against the window looking at the small bundle on the other side of the glass. "Why does she have so many machines hooked up to her? She seemed perfectly healthy on the ship."

Anyone could see the obvious answer, but Shiho wasn't thinking rationally at the moment. She had the pleasure of meeting the little angel right after birth and it was inconceivable that she needed so many mechanisms to keep her little heart beating and her lungs breathing.

"Do you know the prognosis yet?" Yzak asked Dearka sternly while ignoring Shiho's question. His arms were folded in front of his chest, ruffling his uniform slightly. Even Yzak couldn't stand to see the state the baby was in. His best friends' child was helplessly struggling just to survive.

"No one is really telling me anything as of yet. I'm sure my father has something to do with it," Dearka replied somberly.

"Of course I had something to do with it," came the gruff voice in the distance.

Dearka lifted his head and blinked his eyes in recognition. "Dad?" he questioned.

Wasn't he supposed to have left already? At least that's what the man had told him. He had hoped it had been true and he was rid of him for the time being. No such luck.

Mrs. Haw's eyes glinted with a flash of anger. This was the man that was causing her family so much grief in order to twist future events in a way he felt was suitable for his own image.

The man moved closer to the group before speaking. "Yzak, I see you are lending your usual support to my son in order to keep him out of trouble," he said to the young uniformed officer.

"I'm here as Lt. Elsman's commanding officer, Sir," Yzak replied saluting the Councilman.

"Yes, of course, how careless of me, Commander Joule," he said returning the salute.

The councilman's eyes wandered across the group and he noticed a new, yet familiar face. Albeit the woman was a bit older than her counterpart, the resemblance was striking.

"And you are…?" the councilman asked politely.

"I'm Miriallia Haw's mother," she said kindly extending her hand to the man.

He looked down on it and hesitantly reached his own hand out to her gesture. She could feel the insecurity in the shake. It wasn't as powerful a grip as she would have expected from the man standing in front of her. Then again, she thought it might have more to do with the fact that he hadn't anticipated her presence here.

"What are you doing back here Dad?" Dearka asked the lingering question on all their minds.

"I received a call from your assistant. She told me it might be in my best interest to pay you a visit in the ICU. I will admit, however, that I was not expecting to meet my soon-to-be daughter-in-law's mother in such a depressing ward," he said in an attempt to cover the apparent insecurity.

"There's no where else I would rather be than with Miriallia, Dearka and my grandchildren," Mrs. Haw stated removing her hand from the man's grip.

She could see what Dearka had meant so long ago when he stayed with her family. This man, his father, was very unemotional and obviously lacked sympathy for any actions Dearka took that he felt was unjustified.

"Of course there isn't," he paused contemplatively before continuing, "Well, at least for three of the four people you just mentioned. My son is not your concern," he said disdainfully.

Mrs. Haw blinked with agitation, leaving the three young soldiers feeling extremely uncomfortable. Yzak could tell it was his cue to gather the troops and head for the exit.

"If you will excuse us, I need to discuss a few private matters with Lieutenants Hahnenfuss and Elsman," Yzak excused himself and his Lieutenants from the group saluting to the Councilman and nodding politely in Mrs. Haw's direction.

Dearka was unsure of whether or not to leave, but saw Mrs. Haw nod her own head in acknowledgement and welcomed the time alone with the young mans' father.

"Lieutenant Elsman," Yzak said abruptly, snapping the young soldier from his daze.

"Yes Sir," Dearka replied leaving the ICU without looking back. Not wanting to wait for his father to respond to his lack of obedience, he scurried away leaving the two parents alone with his daughter on the other side of the glass.

"You have a very respectful and heroic son," Mrs. Haw said softly. Her head tilted slightly to left to allow her a look back through the glass at Nora's sleeping form. Gently her eyes softened as a smile slipped across her features.

"You think so, do you?" Tad replied starring at the same object.

To him, that's all the little girl was, an object. She wasn't worthy of his time or his affections, even if she had the Elsman genes running through her DNA. The same way Naturals felt anyone altered was not pure, he felt about his half Coordinator, half Natural grandchildren.

"Since finding Miriallia again, he's done nothing but go out of his way for his family. He goes above and beyond what most men will do for the ones they love," she replied.

It was her first attempt at a civil conversation with the man standing next to her; she used reason, hoping to spark a form of camaraderie. Maybe she would be able to sway the man into giving his son and her daughter a fair chance to become a family without interference. Maybe she could even help mend the broken relationship between father and son. Maybe…

"He's a fool. If it wasn't for me, that thing would be dead in there and this so-called love of his life wouldn't be far behind. Is this his way of repaying me for my generosity? Sneaking you here in an effort to hide behind you for protection?" Tad Elsman snapped as he turned from the woman.

Mrs. Haw was appalled. Never in her life had she been treated so disrespectfully, even from someone not too fond of her. And to speak so callously about her daughter, it was more than any mother could tolerate.

"The only fool I see here is you. Your son isn't hiding behind me, he's asking me for my support. It seems that requisite need is something his own family is unable to fulfill" Mrs. Haw aberrantly replied.

"My son doesn't NEED anything. He has everything at his disposal," Tad snipped back at her.

"For someone who must, in some way, be brilliant to have gotten to where he is today, you seem dense to me. Have all the years of looking at humans as clinical lab rats made you cynical to the basic physiological needs of the human psyche?" she heatedly asked.

She was well aware of the former position of the man standing before her. He had been the Council representative of the Februarius PLANT in the prior war, his job and knowledge focusing on basic and clinical medicine, biochemistry, molecular biology and applied somatology. Having a background in clinical and corporate psychology and her own former position as an executive director on the board of directors to a major Orb conglomerate, she felt pretty confident in her ability to speak with the Councilman on the same level. Although she no longer had the time to devout to the company as an executive director, she maintained her position on the board now as a non-executive member. Surely this man couldn't be more difficult than the men and women she served with on the board.

Councilman Elsman was not amused by the Natural currently berating him over his genius and his sons supposed needs. And how did she know so much about his position anyway? No doubt his son's lips had loosened slightly from this infectious family.

"I've never believed in the human psyche," he replied rudely.

Or maybe he could be more difficult, she noticed from his abrupt response.

"That's a shame, you really aren't as intelligent as I had originally perceived," she said still looking at the little girl. She was furious, although her demeanor did not show it. This man, in her opinion, needed to learn a thing or two about what a person is psychologically and not just assume all they were was what their genes denoted biologically.

Before he had a chance to rebuke her statement, she spoke again. "I think it's time I teach you a little something about people as an entity instead of how you know them from your experiments. There are five basic needs, according to Maslow's hierarchy, that help the human psyche thrive. The first is the physiological, the basic primitive needs, breathing, food, water, sleep, sex. Good thing for him, those are all things that are inherent abilities or he wouldn't have made it past his first moments in this world with someone like you for a father."

"Now wait just a minute…" Tad began interrupting angrily, but to no avail.

"I don't think I said I was done speaking," she scolded.

It was strange but something made him fall quiet and he wasn't sure why. This woman was insulting his intelligence and butting in where she didn't belong. Yet still the words failed him at that moment.

"Next is Safety, wherein lies the security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health and property. Unfortunately everything you do is a way to make him as insecure about himself as possible, in order to force him to come to you for help so you can manipulate his life. He's lucky he's made it this far with his lack of confidence. Everything he has, you take away, am I mistaken?" she asked looking at the man now.

"He hardly has a lack of confidence," Tad replied believing he knew his son better than the woman in front of him did.

"You are confusing his cockiness as a sign of confidence instead of the shield he puts up to hide his insecurities," she corrected knowing from many of her own interactions with people with the same general MO.

The hallway was silent and still. No one had been up or down the hall the entire time they had been having their discussion and this pleased Mrs. Haw. It showed the Councilman that she wasn't afraid to be left alone with him, that she could stand up for herself without another's presence.

His eyes slit with anger as she continued her explanation. "Love and Belonging are the third of the five. This includes friendship, family and sexual intimacy. He's lucky to have that young fellow looking out for him. He seems like a good friend. And Miriallia, I'm guessing, is the most intimate relationship he's ever had. Just look to your left if you don't believe me. That just leaves family, a family that doesn't truly love or believe in him. Does he really belong to your family or is he just a genetic prize to you? Because what I see is a person standing in front of me when he's there. I'm beginning to think you only see a trophy," Mrs. Haw snipped at the man.

"If I felt that way, I wouldn't be fighting so hard for his future!" Tad yelled.

"What future does he have if you're the one calling all the shots? If you could, you would have someone telling him where to be and what to say every moment of the day. You are not a God and if you really were, you would remember the one thing God gave to all living beings, free will!"

She had barely taken a breath before continuing her rant. "After that, there is self esteem, to go beyond ones' self with an attempt to expand your horizons and to have the confidence to do so. Fortunately Miriallia gave him quite the boost. She was a new frontier for him, the sweet, gentle, quiet Natural girl that stole his heart. And how about acceptance and respect? He craves that from the ones he cares most about. Dearka seems to struggle in his attempt to gain your acceptance, but that's something you don't ever intend on giving to him. Does that make you feel like the bigger man?" she scolded every rule of the psychologist in her being thrown out the window as she spoke to him.

It was amazing, this was the longest Tad Elsman had stayed quiet when someone was verbally attacking his character. She wasn't sure if he was allowing her to do this because his son wasn't present and it was easier to let her rant or if she was honestly forcing him to think about the actions he had taken up to this point in life with regards to his son.

"Self-actualization, including morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of the facts. Well again, as luck would have it, you haven't screwed that up too much. I'd like to believe it's based on his personality and not your upbringing, maybe even by the help of the military and the atrocities that he's seen while out there on his own. The only thing that he can't seem to do to complete this is to get his father to understand that he is an individual, making his own choices and not just a clone of the man he, for some reason, unbeknownst to me, admires. Even though the human psyche needs all these things, it only needs them to some degree, which is probably why he has functioned so well regardless of what you've done to him," she ended.

"Are you finished lecturing me about my sons' life that you really know nothing about? You're extremely confident that you know everything about the situation. Dearka, I'm sure, hasn't filled you in on half the things that have led up to the decisions I enforce upon him. He is not as caring or concerned about others' needs as you think. All you know of him is a few lousy months he spent on Earth, whereas I have known him his entire life. He is not as pitiful as you are describing and he is deserving of a much better woman than your daughter. Whether you like it or not, things will go the way I design them and there is nothing you can do or say, for that matter, to change that," Tad scolded back.

It infuriated her. Saying her daughter wasn't worthy of his son. It was an uncalled for hit below the belt that made her realize there was only one thing she could do.

"I have to ask you this question. Do you think you are the only man well connected in this world?" Mrs. Haw spoke with affirmation.

"No, but I do believe I'm the only man that can keep that child alive at this moment in time and unless you want me to pull the plug on the entire staff that is working on her, I suggest you tell your daughter to sign those papers," Tad Elsman threatened.

"You can't be serious, that's your granddaughter in there," she said feeling disconcerted.

"Not by choice," he replied.

She was set off again. It didn't take this man long to push her buttons. This time she wasn't lecturing, but yelling!

"Of course not by YOUR choice, she's not YOUR child. But she is your son's child and he made the choice to have her. I don't think you realize that you don't really get a say in the matter. You chose a woman to have a child with, and so did he. Did your father choose your wife for you?" Mrs. Haw continued in a scolding manner.

"My son and I do not live the same lifestyle I did with my father. There was no need to choose someone for me. I'm also not as rash as Dearka is," Tad said simply.

"So you're saying your judgment is always spot-on? Because from what I can see, it's lacking," she rebuked.

"It doesn't surprise me that someone like you wouldn't understand. It was your daughter that trapped my son in the first place," Tad stated viciously.

"My daughter is a good woman and…" Mrs. Haw began.

"I'm not debating that your daughter is probably very sweet, but as I said before, she's not the one my son is arranged to be with, she's not good enough for him. Just because she served some time in the military by circumstance doesn't make her a good candidate to be not only a military wife but also a former representative's daughter-in-law. Our kids should have never been together in the first place. In fact, they should never have even met," he yelled.

Mrs. Haw ripped the papers from Councilman Elsman's hands and headed out of the ICU toward Miriallia's room. If the man in front of her wouldn't listen to reason, couldn't be swayed by a reprimand and had no intention of changing his stance, there was only one thing she could do to save Miriallia and her family.

**Moments later…**

Mrs. Haw came barging through the door to Miriallia's hospital room. "Sign this now Miriallia!" she ordered.

"Mom?" Miriallia questioned.

"Mrs. Haw…" Dearka began to repeat until he saw the cross look on her features as she shot a glare in his direction. It was a cold and menacing look, as if she was telling him not to make such mistakes when addressing her.

"I mean, Mom, what are you doing?" he replied correcting himself quickly.

He knew better than to call her Mrs. Haw anymore. It was something that had become bothersome to her now that he was, in her eyes, part of the family. Dearka's father was not far behind and Dearka looked over to him.

He had overheard his son and rolled his eyes at him. Dearka was furious and rushed over to Miriallia's bed in an attempt to stop her from signing.

"Mom, stop it, it's not a good idea. I know my father better than anyone, he'll get what he wants and he wants me to have custody of the girls and be without Miriallia," he pleaded with her.

"Well at least one of those things we agree on," Mr. Haw said through gritted teeth as he glanced at the man standing just inside the door.

"Dearka, stay out of it. Let the girls' mother give advice to her daughter without your interference," he scolded.

Dearka glared at him and then turned back to Miriallia. "Mir, don't do it," he begged.

He looked at his soon-to-be mother-in-law with his eyes wide as a puppy dogs, "Mom, please, tell her not to do it."

Mrs. Haw just shook her head as Miriallia grabbed the pen from her. Dearka desperately tried to reach for Miriallia's hand and felt two sets of hands grab his away. He looked at both people and felt his frustration rising.

"What's wrong with the two of you?" he cried out in anger.

"Dearka!" his father yelled from behind, "you're allowing your emotions to get the best of you right now. I taught you better than that," Councilman Elsman reproached.

Mrs. Haw released her grip on his wrist and Mr. Haw continued to squeeze the young man's hand as a warning. Dearka looked at the man and for once in his life felt that he wasn't out to get him. Mr. Haw shook his head gently at him, almost in a loving manner to tell him everything would be okay.

Dearka's eyes softened a bit as he watched Miriallia obediently sign the papers. When Miriallia finished, her mother took them from her hands and walked over to Dearka's father and handed him the paperwork.

"There you have it. They are officially married. That is what you wanted so you could destroy their family, isn't it?" she said ruefully.

"That tone doesn't work with me Mrs. Haw. I don't feel regret for taking matters into my own hands. I am protecting my family the same way you are protecting yours," Tad replied.

He looked over to Dearka and Miriallia with a sadistic smile. "Mrs. Elsman, you will be transferred to your new home on Februarius this afternoon. Dearka, as soon as your daughter is stable, you will be returning to your post aboard the Voltaire," he stated.

"But, I can't just leave Miriallia alone on Februarius with two children," Dearka argued.

"Don't worry dear, she'll be fine. It will give us all time to get settled, won't it darling," Mrs. Haw smiled sweetly.

This made not only Dearka look up in shock, but his father as well.

"Oh please Councilman, you didn't really think I would let you destroy my daughters' happiness that easily did you. I tangled with far more threatening entities than you in my day and I've read just as many agreements. There is nothing saying that I can't be with my daughter at all times on PLANT and no addendum you can legally write to make that happen," Mrs. Haw stated.

"Mom?" Dearka whispered softly.

"Dearka, she's not your mother!" Tad said with contempt for the woman standing before him.

Never had he expected this woman to be so cunning as to pull a stunt like this. It was infuriating to him.

"Actually, she technically is now. He's her son-in-law," Mr. Haw said swiftly making Dearka's father's face redden.

"Dearka, as soon as your daughter is released today, you will return to your post," he reiterated.

Dearka stood in attention and with a small gratifying smile; he saluted his father, as any soldier of ZAFT should. He watched the man storm out of the room making Dearka chuckle slightly.


	21. New Family

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 21**

New Family

He looked at his now official, in-laws and then to Miriallia. He was grateful for both of their assistance, but still wasn't sure why they allowed her to sign the papers in the first place.

Mrs. Haw noticed his uncertainty and decided to put his mind at ease. There was one reason why Miriallia signed the papers against her own better judgment and it was because her mother was the only person that Miriallia trusted completely, even to a level that Dearka wouldn't be able to reach, at least, not yet anyway.

"Dearka, don't forget, Miriallia ALWAYS does what I tell her to do," Mrs. Haw replied with a wink at the young man. It was a sign that he had nothing to worry about, that she would make sure his father couldn't tear them apart. That is, as long as he didn't do anything to upset his new mother.

"Well, you've moved up on my list young man," Mr. Haw said as he moved back to his daughter and hugged her gently.

He gave an uncertain look to Miriallia's father at the statement. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Dearka admitted.

"No worries, it's a good thing. You had been the lowest on my list, but as of today, your very own father has taken your spot, pushing you up a slot," he replied but still glaring at the young man.

"Daddy, stop it," Miriallia scolded.

Mrs. Haw knew it was their signal to give the newlyweds time alone. She figured they probably had some things to discuss.

"Let's go dear; we can go check on Nora. You haven't met the little angel yet. The ICU nurses said she's doing extremely well now," Mrs. Haw said giving an intended update to her daughter.

Miriallia smiled and waved goodbye as her parents left her hospital room. Her eyes moved around the room in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Dearka.

"Mir, would you please look at me?" he asked, knowing what she was up to.

Her eyes fell upon his handsome features within moments of his request and she reached out her hand gently to touch his face. A part of her couldn't believe she had actually signed the papers. She hadn't known what Dearka was up to when he stalled her earlier, but she had been so sure when she saw her parents that she would never have to sign such a ridiculous agreement.

In the end, her parents saw it Councilman Elsman's way. The problem was she didn't know why yet. And there leaning over her bed was the man that was now officially her husband. It had been a long time coming, but it had finally happened. Of course, not the way she had wanted or expected it to.

"Mir?" Dearka questioned trying to bring her back from her thoughts.

Miriallia's hand fell from his face as she continued smiling at him. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about things," she replied.

"What kind of things?" he urged her to speak with him.

She pushed herself up from the bed and leaned into him. He felt her soft lips brush his and their kiss deepened slowly. As she pulled away, she left him almost breathless.

"What was that for?" he asked with a husky voice.

"It was our wedding day kiss. You know the part where they say, 'you may now kiss the bride," she said devilishly.

"Well, if that's what they say, then you did it backwards," he replied.

Miriallia blinked in confusion until she felt his lips touch hers again and they fell into another deep kiss. When they released their lip-lock, Dearka placed his forehead against hers and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I wish we could have done this properly though," she said with disappointment.

Dearka's hands continued to brush through her beautiful, soft hair and he spoke to her with an uncharacteristically tender voice.

"I, Dearka Elsman, take you, Miriallia Haw, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forth, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, I promise to love, honor, respect, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live," Dearka said softly to her.

Miriallia closed her eyes as a small smile slipped across her features and she blushed at his vows to her. As her eyes re-opened, small tears fell down her face. She almost felt, as she would choke on the words she wanted to say.

"I, Miriallia Haw, take you, Dearka Elsman, to be my friend, my lover, the father of my children and my husband. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of need, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and to stay with you, for all eternity," she replied with her own vows to him.

Their lips touched once again and he delicately lowered her head back to her pillow, never releasing his lips from hers. The kiss was tremendously powerful between the two. It was unlike any kiss they shared before and had Dearka not remembered they were in Miriallia's hospital room, he would have let the passion explode. But, he did remember and swiftly pulled away from her.

"What?" she asked seeming a little shocked.

She felt as though she had done something wrong.

"Miriallia, we have to stop there. You just gave birth to Nora, you're still not one hundred percent yet and your parents are practically right outside the door," Dearka stated matter-of-factly.

Miriallia smiled becoming conscious of their predicament. "I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess I was so moved by your attempt to give me proper wedding vows," she said smiling gingerly.

He gave her one of his famous smirks, although this one had more love than sarcasm behind it.

"What?" she asked again.

"I just wanted to thank you," he replied.

"For what?" she asked still confused at the look he gave her.

"For being you, for saying those vows to me, for giving birth to Belle and now Nora, for everything you are and everything you will be," he replied sounding unlike himself.

"Careful Lt. Elsman, people may mistake you as a sensitive man infatuated with a Natural woman," she teased.

"Well, Mrs. Elsman, if they do, they wouldn't really be mistaken, would they? When it comes to you, I'm pretty sensitive and I'm definitely infatuated," he replied kissing her on the lips once again.

The two heard the door swish open and parted their lips, both looking toward the intruders.

"Look who we found unceremoniously roaming the halls near the ICU," Yzak said tossing the girl toward Dearka.

Dearka stood quickly from Miriallia's bedside and caught the young girl in his arms.

"Careful Yzak, she's still a person you know, not a sack of potatoes," he scolded.

Yzak shrugged it off and dropped himself into one of the foam filled armchairs in the room as Shiho walked in behind him.

"Are you okay Kelley?" she asked the question Dearka had been about to.

"As okay as I can be with a brute like him manhandling me," she sneered.

"Yeah, yeah, cry me a river," Yzak said harshly.

Miriallia just shook her head at the exchange.

"You act like this is all my fault," she said grabbing on to Dearka's uniform and gaining her composure.

"It is your fault. It's your fault Dearka's father came back here in the first place," Yzak scolded. It was obvious to everyone standing there that Yzak was doing what he could to protect his best friend.

As much as Dearka appreciated the gesture, he was pretty sure Kelley was someone he could handle on his own.

"Yzak, that's enough. Kelley was just doing her job. Besides, my father never left. He had no intention of leaving the grounds without all the papers signed. He just made it seem that way hoping that the space he gave me would make me do it that much quicker," Dearka said beginning to pull away from Kelley's grasp.

"But we saw him leave finally, so does that mean…" Shiho began.

Yzak sat up from his slouched position and looked between the two, shaking his head as if removing cobwebs.

"I guess I should officially introduce you to, Mrs. Miriallia Elsman," Dearka said with a small smile.

"Well I'll be damned, you actually signed the papers," Shiho said in amazement looking at Miriallia.

"Then why did we bother bringing your parents here," Yzak said scornfully. He was agitated with Miriallia now. Even though she had nothing to do with it, he felt it was somehow her fault since they were her parents.

Miriallia remembered what she liked to call her 'training' in handling Yzak and his rants. Dearka had worked with her for quite a while in an attempt to desensitize her from his harsh remarks that could sting every once in a while. Even the strongest shield his closest friends put up to avoid the lash could be smashed if Yzak was angry or annoyed enough over a situation.

She did what she was taught and turned her head away, but never lowered her chin, as she would have normally done in the awkwardness of the glare. Her attention then turned to her husband standing in front of her bed with Kelley still close by him. It was a sign to Yzak that she wasn't intimidated by him, and in her mind a sign to him that she would not even entertain his outbursts.

"You saw him leave, right? Did anything seem a little off to you?" Dearka reiterated Shiho's statement.

"He seemed a bit mad about something," Shiho remembered and then looked at both Miriallia and Dearka.

She saw the smirks on both their faces. For the first time, she saw how much alike the two really were and how perfect they were for one another.

"What happened exactly?" she asked coming to the conclusion they knew something about it.

"Let's just say, my father had an unexpected turn of events happen and there wasn't much he could do about it," Dearka replied.

Dearka felt Kelley brush by him as she moved toward Miriallia. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said reaching into her pocket and pulling something out.

He reached out and grabbed Kelley, being protective of Miriallia at that moment. "What are you doing?" he asked not releasing her arm.

She looked down at his hand and then she looked back up to his face. "I have to give this to her now," she replied opening the palm of her hand.

In her hand were two stunning wedding bands and a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. Everyone in the room looked at her in shock.

"You can't be serious," Dearka said.

"What do you mean? You ARE married now, aren't you?" Kelley asked confused.

"I don't think he means the fact that you have the rings, I think he's talking about what the rings are," Yzak replied now standing next to Dearka with Shiho also only inches away.

Kelley was still confused and was becoming extremely uncomfortable with everyone so close to her. Even Miriallia's eyes widened from the brilliance flashing in her hand.

The diamond ring in her hand was placed in a platinum solitaire six-prong band, with a Round, Signature Ideal cut, Flawless, D, 2 ct diamond. The two wedding bands were equally as impressive.

Miriallia's was set in a Channel-set platinum band ring with a full circle of round brilliant diamonds, while the wedding band for Dearka was a Milgrain ring in platinum with an 18k gold outer ring.

Although Dearka thought the wedding bands were striking, he couldn't believe the expense his father went to for Miriallia's engagement ring, it was worth over $250,000 dollars alone.

_"What's he trying to pull anyway? First highly specialized physicians for both Miriallia and Nora, then a home on Februarius and now this?"_ he thought.

"I can't wear that, are you crazy?" Miriallia cried flushed.

Kelley didn't know what to do. She wasn't used to being around any of the people in the room, except for Dearka.

"I don't understand; why can't you wear it?" Kelley asked in bewilderment.

Dearka shook his head at her. "Kelley, look at it, it's too much. How did he even pick something like this out?" Dearka asked.

Kelley's eyes darted away and she began to feel uncomfortable again. Although his father footed the bill, he wasn't the person that picked them out and probably had no idea how much money had actually been spent.

"Or, he doesn't know the cost yet," Dearka read her body language.

"It's not like he's going to take them back. You know what your father's like. Once something is given, he doesn't ask for it back," Kelley replied.

"No, you're wrong. He may not ask for the item back, but he does ask for something in return," Dearka stated.

"Well there's no problem then, is there?" Miriallia interjected.

Dearka looked over at his blushing bride, "and why is that?"

"Because we aren't accepting them," she stated shortly.

"But," Kelley said still having a hard time understanding why everyone was acting so strangely toward the gifts.

Dearka closed his eyes and sighed. When his lavender orbs fluttered open again, he looked considerately at her. "You heard my wife she said we're not accepting them."

Yzak was still stunned to silence, but Shiho wasn't. "What are you thinking Miriallia? You HAVE to accept them. Don't you want to prove a point to Tad Elsman, that you two can endure whatever he throws at you?" she cried out.

Miriallia sat there in a very stubborn position. Dearka knew the only person who could make her change her mind wasn't in the room.

"No way, if I take those rings, the only thing I prove to that man is that I'm easily bought, and that's not who I am!" she yelled.

As if on cue, the door swished open once again revealing Miriallia's parents. "What's going on in here?" Mr. Haw demanded as he rushed to his daughters' side.

"Oh…my," Mrs. Haw said seeing the dazzling rings shining brightly in Kelley's hand.

"It seems my father had someone purchase some rings for the two of us, but Miriallia insists they're too much and won't accept them," Dearka stated the facts.

Mr. Haw lifted his chin from where he sat at the foot of Miriallia's bed and gazed at them. "They're not that impressive. We have a nicer set at home from your grandparents," he said nonchalantly.

Dearka blinked at the comment and then heard his mother-in-law speak up. "True, these can only be worth a little over two hundred grand, your grandmothers' was worth at least double that," she repeated casually to her daughter.

Dearka shook his head and rolled his eyes. It wasn't like Mrs. Haw to get in on the act of embarrassing Dearka, but then he didn't need to say anything thanks to Kelley.

"Councilman Elsman didn't even pick them out he's not trying to show off his money. It was a task assigned to someone close to the family. That person was looking for something that would suit the two of them, regardless of price," Kelley snipped.

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to offend anyone," Mrs. Haw replied sounding innocent.

She looked over into Dearka's direction and apologized. "Really, I was just commenting so that Miriallia wouldn't feel so guilty about accepting them. You know that it isn't uncommon for people with means to purchase more extravagant items as a way to show..." she started.

Realizing she hadn't made Dearka feel any better, she apologized once again. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded dear."

"I know you didn't, it's not a problem. Miriallia, I really think we should accept the rings. You heard Kelley; my father didn't have anything to do with picking them out and it would be rude not to accept them. Like Shiho said, we have to endure whatever my father throws at us, or we won't make it," Dearka stated.

"You should listen to your husband Miriallia," Mrs. Haw said in an attempt to make amends to him.

The statement made Mr. Haw grumble in discontent. He looked away grumpily before standing up again. "If that's all this was about, then I'm going back down to see my granddaughter again. I didn't want to come back to the room in the first place with him still around. Young man, I expect to see Annabella soon too," he stated as he walked over to Kelley.

Kelley shied away, but felt his hand ravage hers. Once he was satisfied, he moved back toward Miriallia. "Listen to your husband and put on your rings," he replied agreeing with his own wife and handing Miriallia the rings.

As he turned to exit, he grabbed Dearka's hand and pushed the object into his as well. "I want her here within the hour, do you understand?" he asked, not waiting for an answer.

He stalked out the door, grumbling the whole way down the hall. Dearka could hear him until the door securely closed.

"Well, I guess I should follow him. I would really enjoy seeing Annabella too," Mrs. Haw said giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek and patting Dearka on his shoulder gently as she headed out herself.

"I'll call my friend to bring her down. I can have her here soon," Dearka replied as he slipped the ring on his finger.

"Isn't that man just pleasant," Yzak scoffed earning a glare from both Shiho and Miriallia.

"What?" he defended himself from the looks they gave.

Shiho smacked him in the back of the head before shaking her own and walking out the door. Yzak didn't know what happened and ran to catch up to her, leaving Kelley, Dearka and Miriallia in the room alone.

"Sorry, sometimes Yzak doesn't think," Dearka apologized to Miriallia.

"I know, but still, he's my father and it's bad enough having my husband not like him, I don't need my husbands' friends saying things as well," she said slipping her own rings on her finger.

"I'll talk to him," Dearka promised.

"So if everything is all set here now, I can go make the arrangements to have Miriallia transferred to Februarius," Kelley said.

They both looked in her direction with a quizzical look.

"Um, Nora is doing well enough to be moved to the hospital there and Miriallia doesn't need any treatments that can't be undertaken from your new home, so I can get everything in motion," she explained.

"Nora's really doing that much better?" Miriallia asked, the hope seeping from her voice.

Kelley's eyes softened to the young mother. "Yeah, she's doing exceptionally better," she reinforced earning another smile from Miriallia.

Kelley nodded in Dearka's direction and headed for the door.

"Uh, I'll be right back. Is that okay honey?" he asked.

"Yeah, go on, I'll be all right," Miriallia replied.

He twisted on his heel and followed Kelley out the door. Once the door closed between them and Miriallia, he saw her look down the halls. When she was satisfied they were alone, she grabbed his sleeve and dragged him down to another room.

The doors opened and she jerked him inside the room. "Hey, careful," he called out and before he knew it, he felt her lips against his.

The kiss inadvertently deepened before he finally pulled away. Both breathless from the connection, he wiped his mouth in disgust.

"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled at her.

"Just saying goodbye," she replied casually.

He didn't know what he was more annoyed over, the fact that she kissed him or the fact that it took him a moment to react to being kissed by someone other than Miriallia.

"Great, only an hour into my marriage and I've already been unfaithful thanks to you," he snipped.

"It was just a friendly kiss, calm down. I really wanted to bring you in here to give you some advice," Kelley stated.

Dearka raised an eyebrow at her, unsure if that was really her true intention or if it was just another trick like so many people had been pulling on him lately.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but if you really want this marriage to work out, you'll have to do something that's a little out of character for you," Kelley said.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Dearka asked.

"You have to tell her the truth about everything," Kelley replied.

"What do you mean, 'tell her the truth about everything?'" he asked.

Kelley looked around the darkened room and then locked her eyes back onto his. "I mean tell Miriallia anything you've been hiding from her and anything you think is better left unsaid between the two of you. In the end it's going to ruin you and your family," Kelley said thoughtfully.

"Should I be telling her about this kiss too?" he said sarcastically.

"If you want your relationship to survive, you can't keep secrets from her now," Kelley said in a more serious tone.

The look on Dearka's face was priceless, if he hadn't known any better, he would have thought she was a complete mental case. But then again, he realized the kiss was a way to test him, to see if he had the ability to tell Miriallia the truth about a simple occurrence.

"You know this could ruin you too, right? I mean, if I come clean to her about everything, then Cadey and Ian may find out about us so long ago," he replied remembering their conversation earlier in the day.

"Then, so be it, right? I mean isn't that your motto when it's not something that will affect you personally?" Kelley asked.

"You sound a little bit bitter," Dearka said smirking.

"Look, I didn't bring you down here to start a fight with you. I really do think the two of you have a shot. Although, if you ever tell Cadey I said that, I'll kill you with my bare hands," Kelley said stepping in closer to him.

Before he knew it, she had grabbed him again and pulled him closer. Dearka wasn't sure what she was going to do now and stiffened up until he felt her embrace him. "What are you doing?" he asked feeling uncomfortable.

"Giving you a much needed hug before I become just your assistant, I'm not going to be able to be your friend anymore after this," she said smiling with a melancholy look that was beginning to tug at his heartstrings.

"I thought you hated me, at least that's what you've said for as long as I can remember," he teased.

"You know exactly why I felt that way. Don't try to play me," she snipped back softly.

Realizing her intentions were pure this time, he wrapped his arms around her for a short moment. Gently she pushed herself away and stared at him warmly.

"Besides, it's time I stop asking you to hide the truth from Cadey and Ian. It wasn't fair of me to ask you to do it in the first place and now is probably a better time than any to tell them everything that happened. After all, it was only one night, right?" she asked.

"Hey, let me deal with Cadey and Ian, okay? I don't want you to take the fall for this. Miriallia won't be angry because it was something that happened so long ago, but Cadey and Ian are another story. Besides, Ian hates me enough as it is, I can't see him hating me anymore than when he finds out Miriallia and I are actually married now. And with Cadey, it's better if it looks like it's in some way my fault in order to salvage your friendship with her," he said protectively.

"No way, how can you deal with them and take the blame when you weren't even at fault, it would just be another lie," she scolded.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm just going to tell them what happened while leaving out a few details, just go with it when they ask you about it. Anyway, it's not lying, it's truth by omission," he said with a wink.

Kelley closed her eyes and shook her head, a smile still remaining on her pretty features, although slightly brighter than it had just been. She felt a small peck on her cheek and her eyes fluttered back open in surprise.

"Next time, that's how you should goodbye to a married man," he said as if teaching her a new social technique.

She nodded and watched as he walked out the door and headed back down the hall to see Miriallia.

"I'll remember that, Lt. Elsman," she said softly, more to herself than him before heading out to fulfill her responsibilities to the new Elsman family.


	22. Relocation

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 22**

Relocation

Dearka headed back down the hall and re-entered Miriallia's room. She was lying peacefully, looking out the window on her left side. She hadn't really had the chance to see where she was with all the commotion surrounding her the past day.

After all, it had been a whirlwind of events for her. One moment she was giving birth during a massive battle between ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, and next her soon-to-be father-in-law was threatening her while her daughter struggled for life. After all that, her parents had come to rescue her; or so she thought. This had all led to her hearing the sweetest words spill from her new husbands' lips and the most joyous news that could have ever been given to her about Nora's condition. It was enough to make her head spin. Luckily she was lying down making it seem otherwise.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Dearka asked walking over to his wife. She quickly turned her head in his direction and gave him a small smile.

"I've been better," she admitted. In all the craziness, she hadn't realized how sick she herself had felt.

"So now is probably not a good time to talk to you about anything serious?" Dearka asked curiously. He was really hoping she wouldn't have the energy, but today was definitely not his lucky day.

Miriallia sat up and looked at him, patting the bedside for him to take a seat next to her. She seemed more than eager to find out what was on his mind. "What's up?"

Dearka's eyes shifted, as they usually did when he felt uncomfortable about the topic. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you have to tell me?" Miriallia asked catching a glimpse of his discomfort.

"Because you're not and I'm hoping this isn't the shortest marriage in history when I tell you what I have to say," he replied dragging one of his hands through his hair while rubbing his sleek fingers into his scalp as a way to relieve some of the stress that was currently overtaking him.

Miriallia moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. "I'm not leaving you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't now since there is no way I'd ever walk away from our daughters again," she said jokingly.

Dearka didn't laugh. As humorous as it was to him, he just couldn't bring himself to even smile. What he had to tell her was beginning to make him sick to his stomach. _"How do I explain to her all the things I've been keeping from her? All the lies, the disloyalty and everything I've done to the people I claim to care most about?" _he thought.

"Okay, now you're scaring me. I know you would have found that funny if you weren't so preoccupied," Miriallia said noticing his tension increasing right before her very eyes.

Her arms slipped from around his neck and fell to the hand he had placed on the bed next to her. She grabbed it gently and squeezed in an attempt to urge him to tell her what was bothering him.

There was only one way he could do what Kelley had suggested and that was to just tell Miriallia everything from start to finish. He couldn't lie to her anymore. It wasn't fair to start their life together with so many secrets hovering overhead. Dearka knew it the moment Kelley kissed him. She had proven a point to him, no matter how much he wanted to be a family with Miriallia, the only way he could accomplish it would be to take away any power others had over him. He had to tell her about all his indiscretions so they couldn't be used against him.

"I'm going to start with something that just happened and I want you to promise you won't freak out on me," he said earning a glare from her.

Miriallia wasn't feeling well as it was and now he was telling her not to be mad at him. How could she promise that when she didn't even know what it was she wasn't supposed to be angry about?

"You want me to promise not to get angry when I have no idea what it is you want to tell me? Somehow I think it's something you already know will upset me," she pointed out the obvious.

He ignored her question but looked straight into her eyes while he still had the courage to do so.

"Do you think we can work through anything? I mean do you honestly feel that way?" he asked trying to rid some of his guilt about telling her.

She paused for a moment before answering. She could feel Dearka's hand starting to get clammy; it couldn't be something good if he was losing his poise this quickly.

"Well… we got through our temporary separation; so I believe we can make it through anything," she answered sounding hopeful that his news wasn't as devastating as his actions made it seem.

Dearka sucked in a deep breath. It was killing him to have to tell her all of this so soon after they made their vows to one another. He felt her squeeze his hand again as a sign to continue.

"Okay then, I want you to know I didn't do any of these things I'm about to tell you to deliberately hurt you," he spoke solemnly.

Miriallia took a deep breath of her own. She knew it was serious when he made that statement.

"I'll start with what happened just now. I went with Kelley just to talk to her a bit. Before I tell you what happened though, I need to tell you about the two of us before and that this had nothing to do with it," he began.

Miriallia's eyes widened in shock from what he began to tell her. _"Before? What does he mean by before?" _she thought already feeling the anger rising to her face.

"You see, when we were separated the first time and I was forced into the relationship with Cadey, Kelley and I had a one night stand. She was angry at Ian about something and they were already on the verge of breaking up. Of course, as you know, Cadey could have cared less what I did back then, so I ended up accepting Kelley's offer," Dearka said now looking away from Miriallia.

"I was caught a bit off guard when she moved closer to me a little while ago. And when she did, she ended up kissing me," he admitted.

Miriallia closed her eyes. She wanted to rip the girl she had met apart. Already she didn't like that girls' pushy demeanor and now she was making a move on her husband. The jealousy almost overtook her, but in order to calm herself down, she tried to utilize some breathing techniques she had failed to remember during Nora's birth.

"So what? As long as you stopped her, it doesn't matter. You did stop her didn't you?" Miriallia asked trying to be as reasonable as she could about the situation.

_"After all, he was caught off guard; he didn't have control of that woman's actions,"_ she rationalized in her head.

"That's the thing I wanted to tell you, I hesitated when it happened. I was really caught off guard by it all," he admitted.

She tried to remain calm, she could tell there was more he wanted to tell her and she knew if she overacted now, she would never know what it was. Doing the only thing she felt she could do to keep her anger in check, she asked another question about their past relationship to avoid the pain of the present issue.

"Does Ian know about your one night stand with her?" she asked slightly concerned for her friend still aboard the Rousseau.

Dearka shook his head from side to side. Seeing he wasn't going to give her much more of a response than that, she went back to today's incident.

"And today, you hesitated when she kissed you?" Miriallia confirmed.

He felt terrible. She was doing her best not to tear him apart that he began to worry about when he got to the part about his night with Cadey.

"She wasn't doing it to be malicious. In fact, I'm betting she expects you to call her on it later. In all honesty, it is her way of making sure I'm telling you the truth," he said carefully choosing his words.

Dearka turned back to her as he tried to defend Kelley's actions. The only positive thing he had going for him was that she hadn't released his hand the entire time he spoke to her about Kelley.

"I swear, it was only a split second before I realized what was happening, I pushed her away immediately and she practically told me to tell you," he stated.

He could see the tears slipping down her soft cheeks. Her face was flushed from the apparent anger that had crept upon her features. Again trying to avoid the issue at hand, she changed the subject back to the past.

"Cadey doesn't know either, does she?" Miriallia asked sounding more composed than she looked.

Dearka shook his head again the same way he had when she asked him about Ian's knowledge of the situation.

"Well, I guess what goes around comes around, huh? So…what, am I supposed to just sit back with this woman running around our home and trust that you'll keep your hands off her if she makes another move on you?" Miriallia snipped angrily.

"I…" he tried to say something but the words eluded him.

What could he really say though? As he had told her, it wasn't malicious. Although, he could have thought of a better way to prove the point, this was the way Kelley chose and now he had to deal with most of the repercussions. He couldn't even figure a way to explain that to her in the state she was in now. He had no intention of giving any woman other than her the time of day from here on out.

The only thing that did concern him still was part of the conversation he had with Kelley earlier in the day, had Cadey not kidnapped Belle in the first place, he couldn't honestly say that he wouldn't have fallen into her seductive traps. But his only intention was to take the power out of everyone else's hands, not to destroy his future. To tell Miriallia something like that was like helping them with their plot to destroy his family and he wasn't about to let that happen.

"Dearka, do you really love me the way you say you do?" Miriallia asked cornering him.

"Of course I do!" he cried out passionately.

She was angry with him, but she heard the difference between his manner of speaking with them and the one with her. He never hesitated at her question. He didn't need to think or weigh his options. He really did love her. The conviction in his statement proved it to her.

"Then we need to get some help. I have to know I can trust you," Miriallia stated her ultimatum.

Dearka's eyes widened in shock from the cruel comment she made to him. Did she just say what he thought she said? "I'm not crazy Miriallia and I don't think some random doctor should hear about our personal issues! Not to mention there is nothing going on between Kelley and I. Like I said before, she was just doing the only thing she could think of to make sure I told you everything. She's trying to help us in her own screwed up way," he demanded now becoming upset at the accusation himself.

"I didn't say you were crazy. I said we needed help. If you can't control yourself here, in a hospital, when I'm around the corner. How can you control yourself when you're on that ship without me around?" she questioned.

"You make it seem like I'm going to go back to the ship and sleep with every woman on board. I'm not like that! How many times do I have to say it? I walked in the door and she kissed me. I know I hesitated, but it was only because I was shocked, not because I'm some sick jerk that can't keep my hands off the ladies," he said trying to make his point.

Miriallia was livid with him now. She was trying to be supportive and understanding, but felt hurt and betrayed at the same time. For a split second she lost her patience with him. "All I know is that Tolle wouldn't have ever cheated on me and I can't say the same for the man that I just married and the father of my children from what you've told me! I don't even know if I can believe what you say right now," she said the anger rising in her voice and pulled her hand from his grip.

It cut him to the quick, the words and the gesture alike. _"How can she bring him up like that? It's not like... Stupid, it's not like you didn't do what she's accusing you of anyway and that she's only pointing out that someone who loved her as much as I claim to love her would have never done anything like this to her. I guess if for no other reason, I'm going to have to do this anyway when she finds out about Cadey and I. I might as well do as she wishes,"_ he thought scolding himself in mid-thought.

"Fine, you want me to see someone with you, I'll do it, but I'm not doing it for the reason you think I am. I'm not guilty of what you're accusing me of with Kelley or what you think I'll do when you're not around. I just want to make sure we get that straight," he said knowing he technically had the upper hand due to her predicament with the agreement. Although, the agreement didn't matter to him and he knew this was the only way to prove it to her.

"But I have a condition for you," he said piquing her interest.

"Oh really?" she asked feeling like she wanted to smack the hell out of him for even acting like she owed him anything.

"When I tell you the worst part, and yes, that wasn't the worst part of all this, you won't hold it against me for the rest of our lives together. The thing with Kelley is one thing, but what I still have to tell you is a completely different scenario and this is the only reason I'm agreeing to do as you ask. I want to make this work for our sake and for the sake of our children," he pushed for the answer he was looking for.

Miriallia's shoulders slumped as she huffed and rolled her eyes. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. Was he going to name off a list of women making a physical move on him aboard the Voltaire or something? Her head flopped down before she found the strength to bring it back up to regain eye contact with him.

"Fine, whatever it is, I won't hold it against you forever, just for now," she said getting a word in against his harmless threat.

It brought a small smirk to his face, even though he knew she wasn't happy with him as it was.

"Okay, here goes the worst part of it all. And again, I need to set the scene here for you so you realize how I felt about it before you assume to know. You are the only woman I love and I would do anything to keep our family together," he began so she knew how he really felt about the person he had been with.

He didn't want any mistake to be made between his flirtatious feelings for women like Kelley and the disdainful feelings for women like Cadey when he told her what happened. Even though, in a way, he would always care for Cadey since they had been together for so long, he no longer respected her for the stunt she pulled using his daughter. Maybe he wasn't as bad of a father as he had once thought he was.

"Ah, so this is something that happened between you and Cadey," Miriallia connected.

Dearka blinked with surprise, but the shame was evident on his face.

"So, tell me, when did it happen? And was it more than just a kiss?" she asked already knowing the answer.

"When you were abducted by the EAF, Yzak found Belle on PLANT and brought both her and Cadey back to the ship. I wasn't ready to tell my parents what I had done. In all honesty, I was still embarrassed that it happened in the first place," he began.

Normally Miriallia would jump down his throat, but she knew better than anyone the embarrassment that came along with finding out you were a parent unintentionally at such a young age. The way people looked at you, the way they judged you, she had felt it all herself and at a much younger age than he had to.

"Go on," she pushed.

"We were doing fine and I knew as long as I was on the ship, I could hide her from them. As you know, there isn't a soul on the ship that would defy Yzak's orders," he continued.

"Fair enough," she said agreeing with him about his obstinate, menacing friend and Commander.

"I actually had Cadey helping me with Belle though. She had been with her for so long and already got the hang of taking care of her despite her lack of mothering skills. I had no idea what I was doing and I really needed help and there weren't many people on the ship I trusted with Belle," he stated.

"So you're telling me, you trusted Cadey with our daughter? The same woman that kidnapped her in the first place?" Miriallia asked thoroughly annoyed with him.

"Really Mir, she's harmless when she's contained. Trust me," he said.

"Trust you? That's a laugh, don't you think?" Miriallia scolded him.

Dearka shifted uncomfortably but was adamant about his trustworthiness when it came to his children. "When it comes to Belle and Nora, you have to know I wouldn't do anything that would put either of them in danger!" he snapped back.

Miriallia blinked up at him and her mouth fell open from his short temper with her. She had really struck a nerve with the comment. Her eyes softened before speaking again, "I'm sorry, I know you are a wonderful father and that you would do anything for our girls. I didn't mean to insinuate otherwise," she apologized.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you, but you're right, I would do anything for them and for you for that matter. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I know I can be the man you need me to be and this is something I have to do if I want to become that man," he said sincerely.

"Then, by all means continue," Miriallia urged him.

"Okay, where was I?" he asked forgetting his place.

"Cadey was taking care of Belle with you," she reminded.

"Right, so she was helping me on occasion with Belle. I really didn't know what I was doing with her in the beginning and she's quite a handful and when Cadey wasn't needed, she was on a shuttle back to the Rousseau to stay with Ian. Yzak thought it was best because they were best friends and it would keep her out of my hair while I was trying to figure out where you were," he reminded her that he never stopped looking for her.

"Poor Ian, the things you and Yzak have been doing to him lately. You know he doesn't have many real friends and I don't think Cadey is the best influence on him," Miriallia defended.

Dearka quirked an eyebrow at her for her comment, maybe he wasn't the only one that needed to be watched.

"Don't give me that look Dearka Elsman. He's as handsome to me as Cadey is beautiful to you. And I'm not the one who couldn't control myself," she said shortly.

"Yeah, but I'm still thinking it was only because you were already pregnant at the time," Dearka stated showing his insecurity over her relationship with Ian.

"And at the time, I didn't know who you were, but I remembered him. I was drawing upon my eventful short-term memory then and meeting him in the rental car line, being asked out for coffee with him and then having him save my life, was something eventful," she explained.

"So you're telling me, our time together at your family's home wasn't eventful?" he asked feeling slightly hurt.

"It logs a bit differently in your brain Dearka. Although, it was a part of my short-term memory, it was a continuation of a long-term memory event that I had with you. My mind was seriously looking for something short and powerful," she tried to defend.

"And now you're saying creating Nora wasn't a powerful event," Dearka teased.

"Stop it! You know what I mean. I remembered you, didn't I? And unlike you, I didn't do anything inappropriate with Ian," she reprimanded.

"Now that's not fair, I didn't do anything inappropriate with Ian either," he joked.

He felt her release one of her hands from his and then felt the palm of her hand strike him in his chest gently as they both shared a small laugh. It was much like it used to be so long ago, before the nervousness of getting their lives together had taken hold.

"So, what happened between you and Cadey then?" Miriallia asked not really wanting to know.

Dearka stiffened a bit when she brought them back on the subject he had wanted to avoid and took another deep breath to continue.

"The dedication ceremony, you remember it, don't you?" he reminded.

"I wish I could forget," she said honestly.

The nightmares of what she had done and what she had become capable of haunted her every night since her memory returned. She knew it contributed to part of her complications with Nora, the drugs she had been given was the other.

"I had to be there that day," he said beginning to tell her the events that led up to what had happened.

"You… were there?" she asked.

She was never told that he had been there and anything she did remember other than the sheer destruction she had caused had been wiped from her memory upon her return to the ship.

"You really don't remember, do you?" he asked moving off the subject at hand again.

He had thought she might not remember the incident. She didn't remember much from prior battles, except actually piloting the Valor and attacking the targets. It seemed the only things she did remember that she had an emotional attachment to had been from the last one she fought. The doctor said it was probably due to the fact that she was no longer given the memory altering drugs along with the ones for enhancement.

"I know you heard my voice when you attacked Aprilius One, but I don't think it registered at the time. You were about to destroy the control tower I was in. I never brought it up again when you regained your memory because I didn't feel the need to make you feel any worse about what happened than you already had, but it seems I don't really have a choice if I stand a chance against your anger so I can stay by your side after you find out what I did," Dearka reasoned.

"Seems like you've come up with a pretty good strategy, you're right, knowing you were there does make me feel worse and a little guilty. Now, would you just tell me what happened already so we can get on with our lives then?" she asked trying to make him feel a little less fearful about telling her the truth.

It seemed to work, her voice was soft and gentle and he began to calm himself slightly. He loved the way she made him feel and knew she was right about needing to see someone. She was the only one he truly wanted to share his life with, but his desires had become out of hand since he left her after the first war. He blamed himself for some of it, but the rest he tossed back to his father for making the arrangement in the first place. Had the arrangement with Cadey never been made, he may never have gone looking for comfort from all the other women he was with. But the fact was he had done all that stuff and if this was the only way to convince Miriallia that he had it under control, then so be it, after he told her the truth though.

"Cadey had to come with me because my parents were attending the function and there wasn't anyone on the ship I trusted enough to leave Belle with, so I had to ask her for a favor," he stated matter-of-factly.

"What kind of favor?" Miriallia coaxed with her eyes slit.

"I asked her to pretend she and I were still a couple and to convince Ian to come along to help both Yzak and I out of the predicaments we found ourselves in. With Shiho insisting on going to the thing, Yzak needed a way to tear her from his mother if a fight ensued and I needed someone to hold on to Belle while I was mingling with Cadey. I didn't want her too far from me at the time," he said sounding protective.

"So, it's not really the favor you asked her, but what she asked for in return," Miriallia surmised.

"Exactly," Dearka admitted.

"Basically you're telling me, you slept with her in order to have her keep your secret and to convince Ian to help you and Yzak sneak around with both of your secrets," Miriallia said before Dearka had a chance to tell her the truth himself.

Dearka looked away from her for a moment with his own tears falling down his face. He wasn't as cold-hearted as he came off sometimes and he knew he'd hurt Miriallia, which was something that was almost unbearable to him.

Her hand moved closer to his face as he felt her wipe away his tears. "Look at me Dearka," Miriallia insisted.

He obeyed her not caring how pathetic he looked and felt her move in to his arms. Her lips softly touched his before pulling away again. Within a second, he felt her lips again and he answered her kiss allowing it to deepen each time they pulled away and connected again.

Slowly she slipped her tongue in to meet his, passion growing between them. His hands slid around her waist and moved up her back, gently rubbing her. It was the closest he'd felt to her in a long time.

Even though they had been next to each other every night since she regained her memory, there was rarely any time to be intimate with one another. With her pregnancy, Belle sharing the room with them, and now the constant fear that someone would barge in uninvited he hadn't even thought of moving in on her other than when they said their vows earlier. He was definitely not a public sort of guy when it came to intimacy.

But Miriallia had enough of his hesitation and wanted nothing more than to be with him, regardless of who may walk through the door. In her opinion, they were married now and if someone else didn't like her kissing her own husband, she figured they could go to hell. He was with her and she was going to make damned sure everyone knew he was off limits, starting with Kelley and then, if she ever met her face-to-face, Cadey.

Unfortunately for Miriallia, Dearka couldn't think straight. He slowed their passionate kiss down slightly before moving from her grasp. A look of confusion spread over his features. "What's the matter?" Miriallia asked with concern.

Dearka shifted uncomfortably in his spot and began rubbing the back of his neck once again showing his nerves. "I guess I didn't really expect you to let me off the hook that easily," he admitted.

"I can't say I'm happy with what you've been up to, but you told me the truth for once and I know you love me and our girls enough that you are willing to do whatever it takes to make amends. Everyone needs a second chance, don't you think?" she asked with a small wink.

She couldn't hide the flushed color of her skin from the anger she'd felt during his confession, but she was able to hide uncertainty in her voice about their relationship. She wanted more than anything to make this marriage work, with or without the looming threat from Dearka's father.

It had taken them a long time, but they were finally in the same place, going in the same direction and she knew she would be a fool to throw it all away over something he was willing to fix. The small character flaw he had could become a thing of the past if she just kept an open mind and her arms wide open. She knew if she was stubborn and held it against him for too long she would lose everything she held dear, her children and Dearka himself.

"I'm tired of watching you fight this battle alone Dearka. I'm going to help and with both of us working together, we'll make them wish they never crossed our path. But in order to do that, we have to forgive each other for everything we did back then and start fresh from this moment. Although, I would have thought it was going to have started when we were married, but you kind of screwed that up pretty quickly," she teased with a small smirk on her face.

"You're not going to let that go easily are you?" he asked knowing what he'd set himself up for it by telling her about Kelley.

"Not a chance," she winked again at him.

"Fair enough I guess, but please don't take it out on her. She isn't interested in me and again, she was just trying to help us. She knew it was the only way to make sure I told you the truth. Kelley kind of warned me with some of the things she's hinted at that the thing with Cadey is what everyone has over me," he defended their new assistant.

"What, you mean everyone as in your father?" Miriallia asked more serious.

"If you found out about it from someone other than me don't you think it would destroy us?" he asked awaiting her honest opinion.

"I see your point. I'm still mad you know, but when we get settled we'll go see someone and work through everything that's been bothering us," she restated her ultimatum to him.

"Fine, as long as you know I'm not going down without a fight," he snipped playfully.

"And what did I do that you think you have to use against me in therapy?" she asked curiously.

"Well, if you're bringing up everything I've done to hurt you, I'm going to bring up everything you've done to hurt me," he said with his eyes slit in a playful manner.

"I haven't done anything half as hurtful as you have," she defended with a cute little pout forming on her features.

He rolled his eyes at this. She knew full well what she had done to contribute to their current predicament. "Not telling me we had a daughter when you knew you had a way to reach me and telling everyone that might have contact with me not to say anything. And then all the flirting you were doing with Ian," he reminded.

"First of all, I didn't tell you about Annabella because you never came back to me like you said you would and I only flirted with Ian because he's the first guy since you that showed any interest in me. You know, it's not easy to get someone to pay attention to you when they find out you already have a child," Miriallia said with a wave of sadness overtaking her from the past few years she had spent alone without Dearka.

"I didn't think of it that way, I'm really sorry I left you in such a state. With that said, two wrongs don't make a right and you're not going to guilt me out of telling the whole story to whatever shrink you find for us," Dearka playfully tickled her to bring a smile back to her features.

"Stop Dearka, you know I'm really ticklish!" she cried out with more laughter.

Their laughter slowed as they heard the door open. "I'm so sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt you guys," the apologetic voice slipped in.

"Don't worry about it," Dearka replied while Miriallia let out the last few giggles softly as she caught her breath.

"We just wanted to check on you and see what the plan was," Yzak's voice rang from behind Shiho.

"I guess the plan is what my father-in-law said," Miriallia spoke up.

Everyone's eyes focused on her as she made herself comfortable again on the bed. "You'll have to take Dearka with you back to the ship and until he is officially released again, my parents and I will get everything sorted out at our new home. Of course, I'll contact you when we are finally allowed to take Nora from the new hospital she's being transferred to," Miriallia stated.

"Are you sure about this? I mean, I can go with you until you're settled," Dearka tried to convince her.

"No, she's right. If you do anything against you're father's orders you'll have to face the consequences and I'm sure he won't even think twice about taking his wrath out on your baby girl," Yzak responded.

"Especially after what Yzak's mother reported to us when she reacquired Belle from them," Shiho chimed in.

Dearka looked back at Miriallia and saw her nod her head at him. "I'll be fine Dearka. I've been taking care of myself for a long time. I'm more than capable of pulling it off again. But you better release him to me the moment I call Yzak," she said with a warning gleaming in her eyes.

Yzak saluted her respectfully before answering her, "You have my word he'll be returned to you the second you need him."

"Why am I starting to feel like a stamped package that's to be signed on delivery," Dearka quipped.

"Because you are, come on Lieutenant, I'll brief you on the current situation from above," Shiho said snickering.

She walked over and grabbed his arm and began pulling him away. But before he was too far from Miriallia, he slipped from Shiho's grip and returned to Miriallia's bedside. He leaned over and kissed her fully on the lips before pulling her in to a loving embrace. "You call me the minute you hear anything on Nora's condition, even if you don't need me right away. I want to be kept up to date on all three of you," he ordered softly.

"I will, I promise," she replied holding him tightly.

He didn't want to let her go, but felt Yzak tap his shoulder indicating that it was time. "Go with Shiho, Dearka. I'll meet you at the shuttle. I have a couple of things to do myself before we head out."

Dearka blinked in confusion as he released his grip on Miriallia. "For once, just do as I say and don't question your commanding officer," Yzak warned calmly.

"Sir," Dearka said saluting and following Shiho out, but not before turning to Miriallia again and sending a wink in her direction.

Miriallia laughed to herself at his playful side. He was too adorable in her opinion. Yzak saw the exchange and gently smiled as his friend left the room. He turned back to Miriallia with the softened expression remaining across his features, "if you will excuse me Mrs. Elsman I do have some things I need to attend to as I mentioned and I'll make sure Dearka remembers to have Belle brought here before we leave." He saluted her once again and headed out of the room.

"Thank you Commander," Miriallia replied with the same respect she had shown to her.

Miriallia sighed softly to herself as she watched the last of her company leave the room. Having the place to herself once again, she slipped under the covers and closed her eyes for some much needed rest. She had a long day ahead of her and realized this would be the last time she had any peace for a while.


	23. Fascination

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 23**

Fascination

Dearka sat tapping his pen on the desk nervously waiting for a call. He hadn't heard anything from Miriallia in what had seemed like forever.

"Give it a rest, would you? She's probably still really busy right now. Didn't Kelley tell you something along those lines a couple of days ago?" Yzak asked annoyed at his friends' new habit.

Dearka twisted in his seat to face Yzak before speaking. "It's just strange. She hasn't gone more than three days max for the past two months and now I haven't heard from her in more than double that stretch," Dearka stated.

He knew there was nothing he could do about it. They both had to go through Kelley in order to contact one another, but even she wasn't picking up her phone lately.

"I just wish I knew what was going on or how Belle and Nora are doing," he answered nervously.

Yzak sighed softly to himself and closed his eyes. As he reopened them, he looked fondly at his friend. "If there was anything serious taking place, she would have moved heaven and earth to contact you," he rationalized.

Dearka's eyes wandered to the left before he pushed his foot off the floor in order to spin his chair back around. His face having a slight pout gave his response before the words were even formed. "I know you're right, but I just miss them so much and it gets so frustrating to have to play by my father's rules."

"You know, it's not like you had an easy out even if you weren't following his rules. You're still a soldier of ZAFT and it's something you chose to do. I couldn't keep letting you go free even if your father had no say in this situation. You've really been putting me in some tight spots lately too," Yzak scolded.

He had wanted to say that to him for months now, but never felt it was the right time with the state of mind Dearka had been in. Now, more than ever, he seemed much more stable and confident like the Dearka he had known before the first war had ever begun.

There was no doubt Dearka wasn't completely the man he used to be, but the changes had been for the better in Yzak's humble opinion. "You seem to have figured out this family thing really well and I know you once had a grasp on the responsibilities of being a soldier; now if you could only do one without sacrificing the other, you would be a force to be reckoned with against your father," Yzak stated knowingly.

"Now it sounds like you think I've been neglecting my duties on the ship and we both know that's not the case," Dearka snipped. He knew Yzak was just trying to compliment him, but it became more backhanded than it was intended.

"It's not that you've been neglecting them, it's just that this ship needs one-hundred percent of your attention. As worried about the girls as you are, you need to stay focused. Everyone here is depending on you, as well as myself, the same way you depend on all of us. I'm not saying to pretend your new life with them doesn't exist, but you need to compartmentalize it a bit better. The sulking is really getting out of hand lately and it's been bad since I sent you on that mission almost a year ago now," Yzak said trying to have a heart-to-heart with his pal.

"And now you make it seem like I'm some sniveling sap," Dearka said twisting back to meet his friends gaze.

The smirk on his face indicating to Yzak that he was okay with the reprimand and that he probably even agreed with him somewhat. The only problem was he didn't seem to know how to shake the depression that was overtaking him.

"If you want out, just say the word and I'll do whatever I can to pull the strings to make it happen; but if you really want to stay in the military we need to figure out a way to keep your head in the game every moment you are on this ship, the way it used to be," Yzak said knowingly.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Dearka asked inquisitively.

"Unfortunately, I'm not really the one to ask in this case. But, why don't you talk to some of the older guys aboard the ship that have families. Ask them how they do it. I'm sure they have the similar concerns for their wives and children as you're having. I mean, maybe it's not exactly what you're going through, but they'll probably have some ideas that will help you cope better between her calls to you. After all, most of these soldiers talk to their families a significant amount less than you have talked to Miriallia," Yzak suggested.

"I guess you're right, but it just seems weird to talk to some of them about that since I'm so much younger than they are," he answered feeling the embarrassment Miriallia had mentioned feeling from being a young parent.

"I think most of them would be more than happy to share tricks of the trade with you. It's probably how they all learned it too if you think about it. It's not like every father that's aboard this ship instinctively knew how to put his worries of home out of his head for the good of the crew. Ninety-nine percent of them had to have learned it somehow," Yzak continued with his reason.

"So what's going to happen if she actually does call me to come back? Are you really going to be able to swing it again?" Dearka asked changing the subject slightly.

"Should I take that as you have no intention of leaving the military then?" Yzak asked moving it back to the subject at hand as quickly as it had been changed.

"Come on Yzak, you know me better than that. When have I ever quit anything I'm good at?" Dearka joked.

The young men shared a much-needed laugh before the buzzer on Dearka's system went off. Both their faces turned serious as they looked at each other and Yzak nodded for Dearka to answer it. He hesitantly pressed the button on the monitor and answered. "Lieutenant Elsman."

"Sir, your wife is on the line, shall I patch her through?" the soft voice asked.

"Yes Marie, thank you," he responded politely.

Dearka quickly looked back at Yzak and watched him raise his eyebrows with curiosity. He returned the look with his own smirk before wiping it off his face and turning back to the screen.

There she was, the woman he had been longing to see for almost a week now. She was the most beautiful person he had ever met when realization hit him. "Miriallia, is that Nora with you?" he asked in surprise almost leaping out of his seat.

He wished he could jump through the monitor to get to them. He couldn't believe his eyes. There she was after two long months being held in Miriallia's arms. She was so tiny and precious still. She hadn't even grown much in all that time, but that didn't matter to him.

There were no more machines attached to her little body, he could hear her soft serene breathing as she lay there asleep in his wife's arms. She was perfect. It was almost as if she had never had any complications at all.

"Say hi daddy," Miriallia whispered as she lifted her little hand to wave at him. The smile on his face grew larger and his heart melted at the sight of his little baby girl.

"Is she…" he started.

"She's fine Dearka, she's made a complete recovery. Although, I'll still be watching her closely and my mother and I decided we'd take turns throughout the night until I feel confident that she really is as healthy as they say," Miriallia stated.

Dearka's eyes fell and became serious before looking directly at her. "And you? How are you feeling?" he asked concerned with her own progress.

"Better now that I have her here with me. Oh and Annabella wanted to say hi to you also, but she fell asleep with my dad on the couch downstairs while my mother and I picked up Nora from the hospital tonight," Miriallia told him sweetly.

Dearka let out a satisfied sigh before speaking, "I miss all of you more than you know."

"We miss you too and I'm sorry for not calling this week. It was all such a whirlwind and I really wanted to surprise you with this when I heard I would be able to bring her home that I made sure Kelley didn't answer your calls. I hope I didn't worry you too much," she said apologetically.

"Well, as a matter of fact, he was just moping around about just that," Yzak spoke up with a grin on his face.

Miriallia smiled as she watched Yzak appear on the screen next to Dearka. "Ah, and what are the dastardly duo doing now?" she teased.

"The same thing we do every night. Trying to take over the world?" Yzak joked using part of a catch phrase he had always found amusing.

"Well then I should be careful, I wouldn't want to be in the vicinity when your plans backfire," she joked cradling Nora and rocking her gently in her arms.

"So do you need him back?" Yzak asked becoming a little more serious, although not allowing the gentle sound to leave his voice.

"I wouldn't mind having him back, but if it's an inconvenience right now, I'll be fine on my own for a while. I do have my parents still helping me after all," she replied respectfully.

Dearka had an eager look on his face. All he wanted to do was get back to her and their baby girl, but he knew it was Yzak's call now that Miriallia didn't demand him by her side the way she had originally warned him about. By backing down she had probably sealed his fate on the Voltaire for longer than he would like.

"I'll see what I can do about getting him there for a visit. If you really are doing all right without him, I'd rather not send one of my best pilots away until I have a change in my orders from headquarters," Yzak replied.

His face fell in devastation. _"Come on Yzak, just let me go for a little while. Please, change your mind,"_ Dearka thought not daring to say it out loud to his commanding officer.

"That's fine. I'll be okay for now. I know things are crazy from what I've heard. Any news on the Archangel?" she asked curiously.

"I don't think they're going to bother contacting us Mir. We are ZAFT soldiers after all. It's not like it's an easy task to undertake," Dearka answered before Yzak could speak.

His temper rose a bit thinking of one of its' possible passengers. "And we're probably too well connected to the Council for that jerk to even risk it," Yzak stated crossing his arms in front of him.

"Oh," Miriallia said with a hint of shock to her voice.

She hadn't meant to upset Yzak with her question, she really had just been curious on the situation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" she began.

"Don't worry about it honey, Yzak always gets worked up when it comes to something that concerns Athrun," Dearka filled her in.

"That's not true," Yzak snipped.

Both of them looked at him with a look that said they knew he was in denial and it set Yzak off again.

"It's not like I care what that jerk is doing or NEED to be included. I just don't agree with the way he does things! Anyway, I'll get to work on Dearka's temporary release. I can probably swing it in a week or so," he stated uncrossing his arms and heading out.

He stopped in front of the door and before pushing the button to exit; he spoke, looking down at his feet the whole time. "I'm really glad she's doing all right and that she's finally home with you. Shiho was really worried about her," he stated and then walked out the door.

Miriallia blinked her confusion at Dearka. "That's his way of saying he was worried about her too," he said with a smirk.

"He really does care about you, doesn't he?" Miriallia asked.

"Well, we've been best friends for an extremely long time. For a while, I was one of his only friends and I can't imagine he didn't create some sort of bond with Nora being one of the first to hold her in his arms," Dearka said with a soft smile across his features.

"I'm really happy she is able to be a bridge between our differences. I would rather not have to fight with your best friend for your attention," she joked playfully.

"Sweetheart, not even he could keep me from living my life with you," Dearka said with his own playfulness.

"Oh that reminds me, speaking of living your life with me, I sent you an e-mail. Would you look through it and pick a few things from the list I sent? I need it as soon as you can," she replied with the sense of urgency.

Dearka blinked at her. "What is it exactly?"

"Just some things for the house. I wanted you to look at it too and pick your favorites. I know it's a little cheesy, but I was afraid you would feel weird walking into a place I decorated all by myself. This way you still have a say," she said smiling.

"I take it my only choices are from things you already liked though," Dearka teased.

"Well, of course, I'm not going to live in a place with anything I don't want in my home!" the diva in her shined through.

"And if I don't like anything from the choices you gave me?" he asked already having some idea of the answer.

"Then you've defaulted to which ever one I liked better," she said smiling.

"Alright baby, I'll look it over tonight and send it back to you. Barring an emergency, I'm off duty for the rest of the evening," he responded knowing exactly how happy he was making her.

"Thank you," she replied still rocking Nora gently side to side.

"But hon, I have to ask, how are we going to afford it?" he inquired.

"Don't worry, I have it all handled. You don't need to bother yourself with such things," Miriallia said smiley.

"Alright, I'll trust you on this occasion. But the next time, you're going to have to tell me all your plans and how you are making them happen. And make sure you tell Belle how much I miss her. In fact, you better call back when she's awake. It's been over two weeks since I was able to speak to her, she's always asleep lately when you call me," he scolded.

"Alright, alright, I'll make sure to call you earlier the next time. Today was a special circumstance though. I originally had every intention of letting her speak to you. It just took a lot longer than I had planned to release Nora from the hospital and you know how she gets when you wake her up after she's fallen asleep," Miriallia answered.

"I know; I just miss you all more than you know. Call me back sooner this time, okay," Dearka reiterated in order to make sure his message had gotten across.

Miriallia saluted, but this time not the way he had expected. "Did you just salute me the way ZAFT soldiers salute?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Well, I am the wife of a ZAFT soldier, aren't I?" she asked now smirking back at him.

"Cute, tell Kelley thanks so much for teaching you that," Dearka replied.

"I would have learned it sooner or later you know," she said as she moved her hand to support Nora better.

"I would have rather it been later. I love you Mir," Dearka answered.

"I love you too. I'll call you soon and don't forget to fill out that e-mail for me," Miriallia finished before switching off the connection.

Dearka sighed happily and turned toward his laptop figuring he'd better just get it out of the way while he was still wide awake. If he went off and did anything else, he knew he wouldn't get it done and she wouldn't be very happy with him.

As the system loaded, he opened the mail program and downloaded the message via Kelley. He opened it and began looking through his choices.

"Now how about that. Maybe I've been fretting over nothing. She's got some really good taste. I can actually live with most of these things," he said out loud in the room. It was even better than the things Cadey had been planning to decorate their future home with.

_"Thank God, that relationship didn't work out. I'd be haunted by floral patterns with pinks, purples and baby blues,"_ he thought flipping through the e-mail and checking the items he liked the best.

_"The only place I want to see pinks and purples in my house are in the girls' rooms. That's where I'm going to have to draw the line for those colors,"_ he thought grinning to himself.

He finished up and sent the e-mail back to the interception point, known as Kelley, and shut his computer down. Standing now, he grabbed his uniform jacket off the chair and put it back on. He buttoned it fully and straightened it before heading out to the Rec. Room.

Sleep was the last thing on his mind now that he had spoken with Miriallia and had seen Nora sleeping so peacefully in her arms. He figured it was just best to chill with some of the guys, and gals for that matter, in order to relax instead of lying in bed anxiously awaiting news on when he would be freed to Miriallia's custody.

The only thing he dreaded was that he would have to confront Cadey sometime during that trip too. It would be the only time he had to tell her the truth like he promised Kelley he would do.

_"Boy will she be surprised when she finds out the Kelley didn't hate me as much as she said after all,"_ Dearka thought with a slight snicker.

He was going to do as he promised and leave out as many details that made it look as though Kelley had made the first move in order to keep their friendship from falling apart, but he knew he was going to love seeing the look he knew Cadey would have on her face. And the last thing he was going to be was sympathetic.

Now Ian was another story. They had been doing well at patching up their differences and although he still had his suspicions about him, he didn't want to rub his face in this as well. After all, this was Kelley's revenge against him that allowed the incident to occur in the first place, not Dearka's.

_"I hope you didn't intend on trying to get back together with him Kelley. I don't think it'll be possible once he finds out about us, even if it was only one time,"_ Dearka thought nervously about his future conversation with Ian.

The only reason he hadn't had the conversation with him yet was because he wanted to tell Cadey before telling Ian. He felt it was only fair he get to tell her before anyone else had a chance to. After all the pain she had caused him, it seemed only fair that he get the chance to retaliate.

_"This should get interesting,"_ he thought to himself as he headed down the hall.


	24. Adrenaline

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer: **It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 24**

Adrenaline

It was a peaceful, sunny day on Sextilis as Cadey hummed lightly. She had a very melodic voice that could rival even the great Lacus Clyne if she had so chosen that path.

"Cadey, I need to talk with you about something," Dearka called to her as he made his way toward the stables.

Cadey was standing in the Scarlet's stall, her beautiful Mahogany Bay Quarter Horse, as she turned to see the person interrupting her. She had been brushing her mane when he made his entrance.

"Dearka?" she asked questioningly.

She had known everything that had been happening up to this point in his life thanks to Kelley's updates, but she had no idea why the young man decided to pay her a visit. After all, it wasn't like she'd been up to anything as of late that required his attention.

"I really need to talk with you," he said sounding sincere.

Not acting like the Dearka she had grown accustomed to, her interest piqued. She eyed him carefully as he entered the stall with her. Scarlet neighed gently at the recognition of someone she hadn't seen in a while.

"Hey there Scarlet," he replied to the horse now nuzzling at his chest.

"She really likes you," Cadey said solemnly.

Dearka smiled at Cadey in the way only he could, making her almost melt in her spot. His hand gently stroked the horses' nose as he turned to reach in the bin behind him and grabbed some apple pieces out. Scarlet gratefully accepted the treat as she nibbled from his hand.

"You know, you're teaching her a bad habit. If you keep feeding her that way she's going to think everybody's hands carry treats," Cadey scolded.

Dearka chuckled as he continued to feed the animal while stroking her nose.

"She hardly sees me anymore, I don't think you're going to have a problem with that," Dearka said not taking his eyes off the Bay. After all, he didn't want her to accidentally nibble his fingers off in the process of cleaning out all the remaining apple remnants.

In most cases it would be strange for someone to see this side of Dearka, but not to Cadey. She had learned very early that he had quite an affinity for animals, especially her prize-winning Bay.

He had done a good job at creating his image as the insensitive jerk that didn't give a damn about anyone or anything. The only ones who really knew what he was like were the people he chose to keep close to him. Anyone else only saw the façade in place.

The statement he made finally hit and seemed to make Cadey feel slightly depressed now. She knew it wasn't a social call that he was here for, but part of her wished he would pretend, even if just for a little while.

"You needed to speak with me about something," she said in a monotone.

Slipping his feeding hand away from Scarlet, he wiped it on the side of his pants in an attempt to dry off some. He stepped to the side a bit and continued to stroke her moving to her neck and mane to stand closer to Cadey.

Cadey felt his close proximity and blushed slightly. She had missed being near the man next to her. The light, sexy scent of his cologne almost made her woozy.

"I think it's time I tell you the truth about something that happened a long time ago. The problem is, I know you're not going to be happy about it," he replied as she continued to brush Scarlet.

Her hand slowed in the strokes as she looked up at him. His eyes looked uncertain as they danced on her horse in front of him.

"You're making me nervous Dearka," she said.

It was obvious by now to her that this had nothing to do with the situation they were in.

"Call this a way to clear my guilty conscience. I know it's a little selfish, but someone said something that made sense to me and I figured it was time to come clean about a few things. You know a way to start my life over with a clean slate. At least as clean as I can get it," he finished.

Cadey nodded with understanding. "So what did you do when we were together that you feel so guilty about?"

Dearka could hear the sarcasm in her voice. It wasn't often he felt guilty about something he did, especially not in the last couple of years they had been together for.

Never looking at her, he replied to her question and blurted it out as fast as he could. "I slept with Kelley."

Cadey's eyes widened in horror at his statement, it couldn't be; her best friend would never do such a thing to her. There was just no way.

Her eyes slipped from their widened state and slit in anger. "What…did you just say?"

The pause in her question made him realize she was hoping he hadn't said what he did. He took a deep breath before repeating his confession. "I said that I slept with Kelley."

"Why are you telling me this? What's in it for you?" she snapped.

Her raised voice startled Scarlet, forcing her to jump sideways in fear. Dearka grabbed Cadey and threw her out of the way as he felt the horses' side smack into his back forcing him to the ground.

Luckily for Cadey, Dearka's reaction was quick enough to keep her out of harms way. Although he ended up receiving all the brute strength of the horse in the stall, he was able to push Cadey toward the stall door and regain his stance.

Cadey slipped out the door, knowing it was what Dearka had been trying to accomplish when he tossed her out of the way since she was the cause of Scarlet's distress. She watched, as he was able to twist himself around cautiously and gain Scarlet's attention. He moved in front of her slowly and relaxed while looking at the ground in an attempt to calm her.

"That a girl Scarlet, drop down," he hushed to the horse with a confident voice. She followed his instruction and dropped her head down.

Cadey was thoroughly impressed he remembered how to use her 'calm down' cue. He gently began to rub her neck and withers again causing her to neigh softly, the way she had when he first entered the stall. When she was calm again, Dearka backed out slowly and slipped through the door.

"Are you all right?" he asked, as he looked Cadey up and down, practically spinning her around to make sure she wasn't hurt in anyway.

"I think so," she replied.

"What's wrong with you? You know better than to yell around Scarlet," he scolded.

"I'm sorry, but what did you expect? You could have talked to me outside the stall you know," she snapped quietly.

"Then who would have been in there to save you?" he smirked.

"You know what I meant, you jerk," she answered back.

"I didn't think you'd react that way while you were grooming her," he admitted feeling slightly dense.

After all, why wouldn't she react that way? It wasn't like he was saying he left the door open and the family cat got out for a quick jaunt before feeding time. It was much more devastating regardless of their current situation.

"Let's go, we've upset her enough today. We can talk outside or if you would rather beat me, I'd understand," he replied trying to make light of the situation.

"I don't think I have to beat you, Scarlet did that for me. How about you? Are you all right?" she asked a bit concerned.

It wasn't like Scarlet was a foal, she was over 1000 pounds and it had all just smacked into her ex's back.

"I'm okay right now, but I have a feeling it was just the adrenaline. Tomorrow, I may not be so lucky," he said shrugging as if it was a minor nuisance.

"Really Dearka, we should have you checked out. That's a lot of force that just slammed you to the ground," she reprimanded.

"Alright on one condition," he said looking upon her softly.

"Anything if you listen to me for once in your life," Cadey said without question.

"You don't even want to hear what my condition is?" he asked perplexed.

"It doesn't matter what it is," she said pushing her hand into his back to earn a grunt from him, "you're hurt and I'll do whatever you want to make sure you're okay."

Dearka didn't argue anymore. The adrenaline rush that had made it easy to protect Cadey, get back to his feet and calm Scarlet down was now dissipating and he was beginning to feel the repercussions of his heroism much sooner than he had predicted.

He followed her to the house and walked through the front entrance. It had been quite awhile since he'd been there. Everything looked exactly as he remembered it; the marble staircase, the red carpet draped down the center and all the expensive paintings that lined the walls looking as pristine as ever. Cadey grabbed his hand and brought him upstairs to her room, calling the physician from her cell phone.

When they entered, flashes of his past came back to haunt him. "Just lay down on the bed," Cadey ordered after she hung up with the doctor.

Dearka raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not going to do anything to you, you don't need to give me that look," she scolded. He watched as she walked over to her desk and pulled out the chair.

As she sat down, she decided to ask him how things were going. "So how are you doing with ZAFT and all?" she asked.

"Is that really what you want to ask me about?" Dearka coaxed.

Cadey looked away from him, but answered nonetheless. "No," she replied shortly.

"I'm happy with her Cadey. I hope you can understand that and let this all go now. I made it clear that I'm starting my life over from where it left off with her and that includes no longer keeping secrets from the ones I care about," he replied.

"So, are you saying you care about me?" Cadey asked as she read into his statement.

"I'll always care about you, no matter how angry you make me. But it's not the same as the way I feel about her. It's just different," he replied.

"Well, if you ever change your mind…" she began.

The frustration Dearka felt was growing. It was the last thing he would want anyone to do after everything he'd been through. After all, he should know better than anyone, it was just plain torture. Miriallia's state of mind when he finally met up with her was proof of that.

"Don't do that Cadey. Don't wait around for something that isn't going to happen. I know there has to be someone else out there for you. There was someone before me and I'm sure there's going to be someone after me as well," he said in earnest.

"Don't you mean the next one Daddy sets me up with? You can't be that naïve to believe I'm going to get to choose someone. In the end you really didn't get a choice, did you?" she questioned.

It made Dearka stop to think. She was right. In the end, his father had made the decision for him. Although he and Miriallia had every intention of doing it on their own, his father had made the choice for them.

"Fair enough, but it was what we both wanted," Dearka answered.

"Oh please, even if it wasn't what you wanted, you would have still had to do it. It's not like you could say 'no' to him with what he had to hold over you," Cadey snipped.

"I don't know what you want from me Cadey. Either way, I'm not the man for you," he snapped back at her.

Cadey composed herself after his last comment. "Look, forget it. Could we talk about something else please?" she asked.

Before he could answer they turned to the sound of a knock on the door. "Come in," she beckoned.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful woman who was almost identical to Cadey, only a bit older. "Dearka? Dear, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Dearka tried to sit up as he spoke. "Mrs. White, I'm sorry I didn't announce myself earlier. I went straight to see Cadey," he replied cringing.

Cadey ran to his side and helped him back down on the bed. "Stop moving, you're hurt," she scolded.

"What happened to him Cadey?" Mrs. White asked curiously entering the room.

"He had a run in with Scarlet. I was grooming her and he happened to be there when I accidentally startled her. He pushed me out of the way and she knocked him to the ground," Cadey stated.

Dearka threw his arm up over his eyes. The pain was growing more quickly than he'd expected it to. He bit down on his lower lip and cringed from the throbbing.

"You called the doctor, didn't you?" Mrs. White asked.

"Of course I did!" Cadey snapped back in irritation.

"Don't yell at your mother like that Cadey," Dearka painfully scolded. He knew she and her mother didn't have the best relationship, but most of the time he noticed it was due to Cadey's mood swings or agitation with being questioned.

"You don't have the right to scold me; you gave that up when you left, remember?" Cadey snipped at him now.

"You know what, I'll wait downstairs for the doctor to arrive and give you two some time alone. It's obvious there are some loose ends that need to be tied up between the two of you," Mrs. White said considerately.

She quietly left the room and shut the door behind her. Anyone could see the hurt on her face from her daughters' reaction to her.

"Good riddance," Cadey huffed under her breath.

It was something that completely drove Dearka insane, especially now with the problems with his own mother.

"Sweetheart, you really need to see someone about those mood swings of yours. You should totally be on medication," Dearka stated.

"I don't think you have any room to talk. I heard what happened between you and your parents. And if I'm irritable it's your fault," Cadey said moving him slightly to get another pillow under him.

"You're beyond irritable Cadey. You snap at everyone and about everything," he reprimanded.

"And how would you know that? You haven't been around me in months," she replied.

"I don't need to be around you to know what you've been doing. You aren't the only one that gets updated on things you know," he said insinuating Kelley's assistance.

"Oh that's right, you've been sleeping with that backstabbing tramp," Cadey said viciously.

Dearka could see the anger in her eyes turning them red. "She's not a tramp and it was only one time, a long time ago. I took advantage of her when she was having all those problems with Ian. You sided with him if you remember and I saw she had no one to turn to. It's something I'm not proud of and she's finally forgiven me after all this time. She was terrified that you would find out and blame her for the entire thing, when I was to blame for most of it. Why do you think she's hated me for so long?" Dearka defended.

"That's supposed to be an excuse? She was my best friend and only now you guys are telling me what happened? Why even bother? Oh wait, that's right, God forbid you don't have a clean slate to start your new life with and to hell with everyone else's feelings," Cadey replied angrily.

"She's wanted to tell you for a really long time. You know how vain I can be. I just didn't want to be in the middle of a feud if it happened to break out," he said with a smirk.

Cadey began laughing to herself. It was as if reality had hit her. Kelley had despised Dearka for so long and now she knew the real reason. She had been seduced by his natural charm and his ability to get any woman into bed with him. She was angry with herself and with him for taking advantage of her and no matter how many times she'd ask Kelley what her problem with Dearka was she would go silent. Now she knew; Dearka had probably twisted the possible scenario around to scare Kelley into not mentioning it so his ego wouldn't be crushed at the time. He wanted her to believe he could be a potential rift in their friendship.

Dearka knew what Cadey probably thought and intentionally lead her astray on the path. He had promised not to lie, which he hadn't, to Cadey and he made sure that Kelley would be out of harms way of Cadey's likely retaliation. He made an oath to take the hit and he was going to keep his word. What conclusions she jumped to on her own were her problem, not his.

"Look, I'm going to tell Ian about it too. I made a promise to Kelley that I would fix this. It's been years that she's been living with what happened, always afraid of what would happen when it finally came out. But, it's time to just leave the past in the past and move on. I didn't do it to hurt you or to screw around with her head. It was just the type of person I had become back then and I'm looking to break that. This is the only way I know how to free her and start my own life over," he said in earnest.

Before Cadey could say another word, she heard another knock at the door. "Come in," she beckoned again.

She was in luck, this time the family physician had arrived. The doctor walked in and saw Dearka with his face twisted in pain, although he was trying his best to hide it.

"What do we have here?" Dr. Devours asked.

"He was knocked to the ground by Scarlet today," Cadey answered for him.

Dr. Devours moved over to the two of them and began reaching in her bag. "Would you help him sit up for me please and help him unbutton his shirt?" she asked as she knelt in front of the bed.

Cadey did as she was asked and kept Dearka steady as he felt the cold stethoscope hit his chest. The doctor stood up and moved her hand behind him making his chest pop slightly when it hit his back.

He didn't even need to be coached to take the deep breaths. He was pretty good at knowing what was coming from all the physicals he had to endure as a soldier. But, he knew Cadey wasn't in the least bit upset about helping him sit up straight while his shirt was unbuttoned. If she'd had it her way, she would have probably torn the thing right off his back.

Cadey's hand slowly moved over his chest making him shudder slightly from the touch as the doctor unnoticing went about the physical. Deciding to kill any moment Cadey was creating for herself, Dearka spoke again.

"Nice ring by the way," Dearka said lifting his hand up to show it off to her.

"You liked that, huh?" Cadey replied feeling her moment crushed.

"Were you trying to prove a point with these?" he asked trying to rub it in that he was happily married to someone other than her.

"No, I just thought you deserved the best, that's all," she lied.

"Sure you did," he replied sarcastically.

He continued to follow Dr. Devours instructions and he noticed Cadey pull away from him slightly. _"My comment must have worked. She's backing off a bit,"_ he thought as he was helped to his feet.

He snapped out of his reverie as the doctor spoke to him. "It doesn't look like anything is broken. But, you will still need an x-ray as soon as you get back to your own physician. I don't see anything that would cause me to believe you are in any eminent danger. You're a pretty strong man and physically fit, but you will definitely be feeling this hit for a few weeks as I can already see the bruise on your back forming. I'll prescribe you something for the pain, but only for a few days. That should be enough for you to be checked out at home I presume?" she asked.

"Uh, yes ma'am, and thank you for seeing me on such short notice," he replied.

"It's no trouble. Just remember not to overdo it right now. You are going to be extremely stiff from this, but overall you'll come out of this just fine. Like I said there is no sign of any permanent damage. Just make sure to get the x-ray to verify that though," she ordered.

"Don't worry Dr. Devours, he will. I'll make sure of it," Cadey replied earning an eyebrow raise from Dearka.

The doctor packed up her bag and handed Cadey the prescription she'd written and headed out. When the door to the bedroom shut, Cadey heard Dearka voice his concern with her comment.

"Um, Cadey?" he began.

Cadey turned in his direction with a look that always scared him. It was the look of her determination. It was the fact that nothing could change her mind when she had this face on.

"I want to meet her, face-to-face," Cadey replied walking to her closet and grabbing a bag.

"Wait, what?" Dearka cried.

How did he go from just telling her about Kelley to having to take Cadey to meet Miriallia? _"When did she decide this?"_ he thought in a panic.

"Are you crazy? No way!" Dearka yelled.

"Look, either you take me with you or I'll just follow you there. It's your choice. Just remember it's easier to keep me under control when I travel with you," she said with a smile and a wink.

"Now hold on a second, how do you even know I'm going back to see her?" Dearka asked almost wanting to hit himself in the head when he realized he already knew the answer.

"Never mind my last question, the answer is NO!" he snipped still panicked.

"What? Are you afraid I could ruin everything for you?" Cadey smirked.

Dearka could only think of one reason why she wanted to go. "I already told her about us and what happened that night Cadey," Dearka said solemnly.

Cadey turned around not expected to hear that he had told his wife about their night together. "So, you're just letting everything out in the open, aren't you?" Cadey replied trying to act as if that wasn't one of the reasons she wanted to tag along.

"So you see; there is no reason for you to come with me. It'd just be a waste of your time," Dearka finished ignoring her comment.

"I'm still coming with you. I told you I WANT to meet her face-to-face!" Cadey demanded.

Dearka's face looked dumbfounded. He was sure that would stop her from trying to follow him, but it failed miserably. He knew it was a bad idea and decided maybe he could appeal to her sweet and sensitive side.

"Really, this isn't the best time Cadey. If I can't convince you to not bother with this, can I at least get you to wait a while? Nora was just released from the hospital last week and I really want to spend some time with them. I just want to have a chance to enjoy this moment without worrying about what you and Kelley are up to. It's not about Miriallia and I, this is about me and my daughter," Dearka begged.

"No, I'm not waiting! And you don't need to worry. I won't do anything to interfere with you trying to bond with your daughter. I didn't get in your way with Belle, did I?" she asked.

Dearka twisted his face with an 'are you serious' look. "Oh alright, I didn't get in your way after you got her back from me, right? In fact, I helped you if you remember correctly," Cadey said realizing what his look was for.

"Cadey…" Dearka began.

"I won't do anything, I promise. No more kidnappings and I won't start anything with your wife. If you really want closure and a clean slate, you'll let me come along Dearka," Cadey reasoned with him.

His pleas were unanswered. The moment she spoke he realized she didn't have a sweet and sensitive side anymore. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I'll have to run it by Miriallia first. I'm not going to just show up on our doorstep with you in tow. I won't let you force me into that," Dearka replied.

"Fine, call her. I'm sure she's going to agree. I have a feeling she wants to meet with me as much as I want to meet with her," Cadey stated with certainty.

"All right, but don't be disappointed if you're staying behind," Dearka said as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Good, we'll stop at the drugstore on our way out of the city," Cadey said ignoring him and packing as he began to dial the number.


	25. En Route

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Disclaimer:** It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 25**

En Route

He couldn't believe what he had heard when he called Miriallia. _"Is she serious? She wants to meet Cadey too? Unbelievable!" _he thought with frustration as he waited in the car for Cadey to get out of the pharmacy.

"Whatever it is the doc gave me, I'm going to have to take triple the dose to make it through the pain of watching these two meet," he said softly staring out the window.

Before long, Cadey was back in the car and handed the bag to Dearka. "Here you go. I also got you a bottle of water so you can take one when we get on the shuttle. But I think you should wait until we get on in case it has any adverse side effects," she stated as she buckled her seat belt.

"I think I'd rather wait until I'm in the comfort of my own bedroom to risk taking anything. I want to be under Mir's supervision, not yours," he said sarcastically.

"Suit yourself, it's not my back that hurts," she replied as she pulled a notebook out of her bag.

Dearka's eyebrows raised in curiosity as he watched her flip open the pages and quietly begin reading them. Shifting slightly he leaned over to see what she was working on. Just as quickly as she opened the book, she closed it again.

"Do you mind?" she asked in annoyance.

Unfortunately for her, Dearka was a quick reader. "I do when your notebook is eerily similar to courses I took at the academy," he stated realizing what she had been up to for the past few months.

"I'm just as capable as you are Dearka!" she yelled. She hadn't meant to scream at him the way she did, but she knew she'd have to defend her decision to join when he found out.

"I never said you weren't capable," he said tearing the notebook out of her hands.

"Hey!" she cried.

He flipped it open and scanned it quickly. "I just know this isn't the right place for a person like you," he finished.

It was worse than he thought. She was taking all the advanced courses from what he saw in the notes. Probably on her way to becoming an elite, something he had lost status from thanks to both his actions and her concerns.

"You're almost done," he noticed.

"What do you care?" she asked ripping the notebook away from him.

"I care because…" he paused before finishing.

"What? Go on, say what you were about to say," she chided.

"Because regardless of how things turned out between us, I don't want to see you get hurt anymore than you already have, physically or emotionally. I would have thought what I did in the stable would make that apparent," he snipped back at her.

Cadey rolled her eyes in aggravation. "I don't have time to argue with you about this. I have to finish the last few lessons so I can have Kelley send them in for me while I'm staying with you and your new little family," she said with sarcasm seething out.

"Fine, whatever!" he snapped as he turned to look back out the window. His back was hurting anyway and it was moving up to his head. The pounding felt as though someone was using a hammer on his skull.

Still feeling uncomfortable with what he had just learned he turned back to her and stared as she continued working. Feeling his eyes on her, she closed the book again and looked at him. Her own eyes full of agitation. "What is it? Do you have to keep staring at me?" she asked with a huff.

"I'm not staring at you, I was just thinking," he spat back.

Cadey took a deep breath to calm her nerves before continuing her conversation with him. "What were you thinking of asking me?" she asked him knowing he had been debating questioning her.

"Never mind, forget it. It's a stupid question anyway and it's really none of my business like you said," he replied turning away again.

Cadey shook the notebook in frustration, smacking it against her legs. "You are driving me crazy Elsman! Just ask the damn question so I can finish studying!" she demanded.

"Fine!" he yelled back at her. It took him a moment to think of how to phrase it. He was curious to know, but didn't want to look jealous at the answer he could possibly get. There was always the chance.

After a moment of considering his options, he asked the question he wanted to know most. "How did you do on all of the practical tests?" he asked.

Once again she huffed at him and flipped her notebook back open. Looking down at it, she answered him. "You can't be serious. That's what you want to know so badly," she scolded as she got back to work.

"Is that your way of saying that you're not going to tell me?" Dearka inquired.

"That's my way of saying that you really don't want to know. Your ego may get crushed a little," she said with a small visible smirk on her face.

"Better than I did then, huh?" he asked. He knew that all the test scores from every military officer were made public in the system. Unfortunately ZAFT didn't believe in privacy in that arena, but most soldiers didn't look out of courtesy for their fellow teammates. It only made him realize that Cadey had not cared about certain rules of ZAFT military etiquette.

Cadey closed her notebook again for the umpteenth time and decided to put it back into her bag after looking out the window. They were almost at the shuttle port and it was no longer worth struggling to read her notes anymore. "Look, I'm just kidding. I don't know your scores. To tell you the truth, I was curious, but one of the friends I made there said that it's some unwritten rule that you don't invade the privacy of other personnel. I don't quite understand why. After all, it's posted there because they want people who join to do better than their counterparts, but I guess it's a no-no," she stated calming his fears.

Dearka was slightly shocked. He really didn't expect her to say that. He was so sure she was going to do whatever she wanted, as she always did. But to his delightful surprise, she hadn't. Although still wanting to know her score he spouted off one of his scores. "I had a 624 in ballistics training, how did you do?" he asked knowing he had one of the highest scores during his time there.

Cadey looked over at him again and smiled. "Still not as good as you, but I think I held my own with a 620. I could be a sharp-shooting rival of yours if I wanted to be," she teased.

"But I could probably take you down any time," he replied laughing along with her.

As they continued to laugh together, they felt the car stop. An intercom came on and they both heard the driver announce their arrival. The attendant opened the door for them and offered to carry in Cadey's bags, but Dearka just waved him off. "I'll carry Miss White's things in to the shuttle port. We'll be okay from here," Dearka stated grabbing both their bags.

The attendant bowed to the two respectfully and then headed back to the front passengers side of the Whites' car. Cadey smiled again making Dearka's guard go up. "What?" he asked.

"Still the same gentleman I remember from back then. Well, once we got to know each other better," she said with a wink.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go Miss White. We'll miss the shuttle if we hang out here reminiscing about the past and I'm not about to make my wife wait another minute to see me again," he said as if pouring lemon juice into the open wound she had.

**On Februarius…**

Miriallia paced back and forth wondering how two hours could feel like forever. "Miriallia stop pacing you're making us all sick," her father scolded from the couch. He was also pretty nervous about seeing his son-in-law again and continued to flip through the channels on the television.

"Honestly, they have over a thousand channels in the damn PLANTs and still there's nothing on to watch," he groaned.

"Miriallia? What are you worried about?" her mother asked making her own attempt to calm her daughter down by rubbing the sides of her arms when she finally caught her to stop her motion.

"It's just that it's his first time coming home and with Nora and Annabella, I'm just a little nerve wracked. What if he doesn't like what I did with the place?" she asked concerned.

"I'm sure he'll love it," Mrs. Haw replied.

"I'm sure he won't notice," Mr. Haw said obnoxiously.

"Mom!" Miriallia cried out now more stressed than ever.

"Don't listen to him honey. You know how he gets with anything having to do with Dearka. I know he is going to love your home together," she reassured her daughter.

Kelley sat on the stairs watching the family's nerves get the best of them. She tapped on her legs with a pen she had neglected to drop when she finished filling out some forms for Councilman Elsman a few minutes prior.

Miriallia heard the noise and began to become agitated by it. "I don't mean to be rude, but could you stop that please?" she ordered politely.

Kelley's eyes widened in shock from the demand, but she respectfully listened and put the pen in her pocket. "I'm sorry Mrs. Elsman," she replied.

Miriallia sighed and looked over at the girl again. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," she said as she made her way over to the woman and breaking free of her mother. Oddly the two of them had begun to get along a little. She wasn't sure of how or when it happened, but it did nonetheless.

Miriallia sat down on the stair below Kelley's and looked up at her. "So, what do you think? Do you think he'll like it?" she asked. She knew Kelley had been there through everything and even helped decorate with her.

"He's going to love a lot of things in here. And he's going to be really impressed that you were able to convince his father to let you clean out his room over there," she stated.

It was true. Without telling Dearka her plan, she had Kelley set up a meeting with her father-in-law right after her conversation with Dearka when Nora was home from the hospital. She had gone in and convinced him to allow her and Kelley to clean his room out and bring his things to his new home. She knew there was only one thing she had to say that would make him agree.

**One Week Earlier, Elsman Mansion, Februarius 1…**

"If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Whether I'm there or not, you're going to let him keep the house to raise his daughters in, so why not let him have his personal things there," Miriallia explained.

He could see her point. Deep down, no matter how much his son disappointed him, he still had some feelings for him and for his sons' children. Not that he would ever admit it out loud or regret any actions he had taken up to this point over the situation.

"I see your point. Fine, Kelley, make it happen and warn Dearka's mother before you start unloading his room. Just make sure she understands that she is not to interfere," he responded dropping some papers into another stack.

Miriallia's face lit up. She hadn't been sure how he was going to react, but it ended up being to her advantage. She took it and ran with it, not saying another word except giving her thanks for allowing her the time to speak with him.

"Now if you two would excuse me, I have a meeting I must attend," he answered her show of gratitude.

The two young women stood up and graciously nodded and headed toward the door until they heard him speak again. "When Dearka arrives back in Februarius, which I'm sure will be soon with your daughters' return home, do tell him to come here with the girls. Apparently my wife has decided she wants some sort of relationship again with him and those children of yours," he said unemotionally.

Kelley turned and nodded to the Councilman before pushing the door open for Miriallia. She knew he had just given her an order and even if Miriallia or Dearka protested, she was going to have to insist.

Once the door shut between them, Miriallia looked around the foyer. "Wow, this place really is magnificent, isn't it," she said looking at all the high archways.

"Why are you so impressed? It's not much bigger than your new home," Kelley replied.

Miriallia walked around and did a small spin as she saw the top to bottom marble throughout the area. "No, I mean architecturally it's gorgeous. This is really where Dearka grew up?" she asked.

"Well that's a stupid question. Of course this is where he grew up. Now would you like me to call someone at this moment and get some boxes to pack his things or would you like to come back?" she asked with her phone in hand.

Miriallia's eyes fell from the sky and she looked at Kelley, "Hmm? Sorry this is so breathtaking that I wasn't really listening."

"I said do you want to do this now or later?" Kelley asked again.

Before Miriallia could answer she heard another voice. "Thank you for those kind words about my home."

Miriallia and Kelley flipped around to see Dearka's mother standing behind them. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself to you yet, have I?" she replied sweetly. Miriallia was confused. She remembered what Dearka had told her about his mother. About how shocked he was at her response to everything and the things she had done to hinder him as well.

"I…" Miriallia started but was at a loss of words.

"Hello Mrs. Elsman, we're here to pick up Dearka's things from his bedroom. Will that be all right if we do it today?" Kelley asked making the arrangements without Miriallia's final word.

Her eyes dropped realizing what it all meant. "I guess he had to move out on his own someday. Of course you can, you do remember where it is, right Kelley?" his mother replied.

"Yes ma'am, I do. I'll just get things rolling Mrs.…I mean Miriallia," she said beginning to get herself confused.

"It's okay, she is Mrs. Elsman as well now," Dearka's mother stated matter-of-factly to take some of their edge off.

Sadly it didn't help Miriallia at all and she was as stiff as a board. She remained quiet as Kelley excused herself from the room. Part of her wanted to scream out and beg her not to leave her alone with Dearka's mother out here and his father on the other side of the door. After all, any minute he would be heading out for his meeting leaving her trapped by the two of them with no one to support her.

_"This was probably not one of the best ideas I've had lately,"_ she thought.

"Would you like to have a look around?" his mother asked trying to lighten the mood between the two of them.

Miriallia's eyes lit up again. She was curious to see the home her husband grew up in and this may be her only chance. "I would love that," she said her eyes darting around to all the beautiful curves of the room.

"I see you have a thing for architecture as well," she replied as she grabbed the young girls' hand and began to give her a tour.

"I love a lot of things. I'm a photographer but some of my passion is taking photos of the fine architecture of many classic and historic buildings. I'd have to say your home falls under the classic portion," she stated happily.

"Well then, feel free to take as many photos of our home as you would like someday," she extended an open invitation to the young Natural.

It certainly wasn't what Miriallia had expected, but she kindly agreed to the possible future visit to her in-laws home.

**Present, En Route to Februarius 2…**

Dearka had closed his eyes for a much needed nap. He wanted to make sure nothing would stand in his way of spending time with his girls. But each time he got comfortable, he heard Cadey flip another page. Every page turned was bringing her that much closer to becoming a soldier.

He opened his eyes again to look at her. "Now what?" she asked skimming the pages and then writing in her notebook what her thoughts were.

"Are you sure about this? Is this something you really want to do?" he asked concerned.

"What else is there for me?" she asked knowing he wouldn't have a clear answer to give to her.

"A little late to start with the self pity, don't you think?" he asked realizing what she was up to.

She sighed and looked back to her notes. "Fine, it's obvious you don't really understand what I mean and you certainly don't care either."

Dearka shook his head in annoyance again. "Are we really going to do this again? You know, this back and forth, around and around thing? I don't have the energy to put up with much more," he replied knowingly.

She blinked at him with a look that told him he needed to elaborate his statement for her. Huffing at the unvoiced request he explained more. "Look, if you're going to join the military for real, then there's only one place you're going to be and that's stationed with us. I'm sure you and Ian have it all planned out. Then I'm going to have to protect you, which is really going to be a thorn in my side because since we were together as an official couple, that's all I've ever done. I can't protect you, the ship, my friends and my family, it's too much," he stated matter-of-factly.

"I didn't ask you to protect me and what makes you even think I need protection anymore?" she said with offense.

"Because you're Cadey White, the most stubborn, frustrating, and rebellious woman in my life. Trouble follows you wherever you go and on those rare occasions that it doesn't, you cause your own. Somehow I know I'm always going to be the one picking you up when you fall whether I want to or not," he answered.

"Like Yzak does for you?" she asked intrigued.

Dearka laughed to himself a little realizing how similar they really were. "Yeah, I guess so," he said.

"The only difference is the two of you are friends. I can't say the same for us, can I?" she asked sounding dejected.

Dearka's violet eyes closed and he shook his head. As he reopened them, they glistened with a soft glow. "We're friends, okay. Just stop interfering in my personal life. You're pushing me to take drastic measures," he responded.

Cadey smiled at him. "Friends, huh? And I have to stop interfering in your life, but you can still interfere in mine?" she questioned making her argument.

"Fair enough. Fine, I won't say another word about you joining up if that's what you really want to do. But I'm warning you, you do anything sketchy and I'll shoot you myself on the battlefield. You won't have to worry about the enemy," he said with a smirk.

"Well look at you, assuming that I'm going to be stationed with you," she smirked.

"Don't even feed me that line. We both know that's where you'll end up, I'm not that naïve," he answered.

"Well, you're right, that is where they intend on putting me when I finish. But it's not because of you; my father wants me wherever Ian is. He thinks that will keep me safe somehow. Plus, I only agreed to it because as I was saying before there wasn't anything left for me. All my friends are unfortunately orbiting around you right now and that's why you'd be stuck with me, so I can be close to them, and no other reason. So I guess we have a deal then. I'll stay out of your personal business as long as you stay out of mine," she smiled as she repeated his agreement.

After all, she had no intention of causing him any trouble. She was going to leave that to Ian, Kelley and his father to take care of. _"It's not like I need to get my hands dirty to see your marriage disintegrate," _she thought as she relaxed in her seat for the remainder of the trip.


	26. Relaxation

**Dearka & Miriallia**

**Book II**

**Author's Note: **I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some time off. And here is the newest chapter. I hope you guys like it. Hugs!!!

**Disclaimer:** It is obvious by now if I'm here that I do not own Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny or any other Gundam Series. But any characters I create to place in this world are mine (But I don't mind if you guys want to use them too. I have no problem with that. You don't even need to ask me. I enjoy sharing to make other stories the best they can be.)

**Chapter 26**

Relaxation

**Early Afternoon…**

A chime was heard throughout the house making heads turn. Miriallia stood up from her spot on the bottom stair leaving Kelley where she was. Looking at her mother from across the room she saw her nod in agreement. It made Mr. Haw grunt in agitation turning back to his search for decent programming on the television.

She cautiously made her way to the door. It was finally time, she was going to see him again after two long months. There was so much she wanted to tell him and so many things she had left unsaid from the past few days. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

There he was, finally, with the ever so handsome smirk lining his features. She stood there almost in a state of disbelief. It was really him; the only thing between them was silence and the doorway.

"At the risk of sounding cliché; hi honey, I'm home," he said breaking the silence and making her smile expand.

The excitement took over her and she ran into his arms. He felt the collision into his pained body but held back his complaints except for a small grunt that she hadn't even noticed.

His arms felt so warm and welcoming and she felt him quickly tilt her chin up to look straight into her gorgeous eyes. Gently he leaned down and kissed her fully on the lips, the passion growing between them.

Before anyone else had a chance to interrupt their intense long-awaited reunion, their lips parted. Dearka had heard a sound that had been a long time coming for him. "Daddy!" Belle cried running to the door, practically knocking her mother out of the way.

Dearka caught Miriallia from falling back with one hand and helped Belle jump into his arms with the other. Once Miriallia was secured and able to regain her balance he dropped his connection with her in order to adjust Belle.

"Hi sweetheart," he replied looking at the little girl who was nuzzling against his chest.

He missed feeling her in his arms and putting her to bed at nights. In one short year, she had become his entire world. _"To think, it wasn't that long ago that I didn't even know you existed,"_ he thought holding her tighter.

"Daddy, are you staying?" she asked with the apparent increase in her vocabulary and grammar. He had only been gone two months, but the development of her speech made it seem like years.

"For a bit," he replied as he held her close.

"Hey, if you plan on staying, why don't you stop wasting the heat and close the door already," Mr. Haw said with his usual irritation.

"Well it's good to see you haven't changed. I was beginning to wonder with everything that's happened, what was ever going to tether me back to the way things used to be to make me feel more comfortable?" Dearka said with sarcasm as he walked in the door.

Miriallia looked up again and noticed the young woman behind Dearka. She shyly moved forward but kept her head up and eyes forward. Miriallia walked by Dearka and extended her hand. "You must be Cadey. My name is Miriallia and it's nice to finally meet you," Miriallia said kindly, but even Dearka could hear the slight uncertainty in her voice.

"No, the pleasure is all mine," Cadey replied accepting Miriallia's welcome.

"Please come in. I'm sure having Kelley here will make your stay more comfortable with us," Miriallia said trying to break the ice a bit.

"Thank you," Cadey said feeling Dearka's eyes on her now too as he twisted his head to see their exchange.

At that same moment Belle peeked around her father at the other voice she recognized. "Cadey!" she cried out happily.

The declaration made Miriallia bite her lower lip and cringe a little. Luckily for her, Dearka was the only one who noticed. Cadey and Kelley had both looked to Belle when she called out.

Quickly, Belle pushed herself out of her fathers' grip and slid down to the floor. Her patent leather shoes clapping on the floor as she ran over to give the young woman a hug. "Hey there sweetie," she answered lifting her up and giving her the hug she had been looking for.

"Are you going to stay here with us too?" Belle asked excitedly.

"Well of course I am. I came to see how you were doing after all," Cadey stated making Belle even happier.

"I missed you so much," Belle replied still hugging her.

Dearka could see how hurt Miriallia was by Belle's words and was impressed with how well she was handling it. He could tell how all she wanted to do was yell at their little girl to not be excited from this woman's visit, but she held her tongue. _"You really are something else," _he thought with a smile.

"Kelley, why don't you show Cadey to one of the guest rooms," Dearka said in an attempt to stop the awkward feeling he knew was torturing Miriallia.

"Yes sir," she answered staying in her own character now making him the awkward feeling one. Other than at the hospital for a split moment, he hadn't engaged with Kelley in such a formal setting. It was quite different from what he remembered when she used to be glued to Cadey's side tormenting him.

"Thank you Kelley," Miriallia said trying to extend the same consideration Dearka had just done for her.

Cadey put Belle down and picked up her bag again. "I'll see you later, okay kiddo," she replied to the disappointed girl. Belle hadn't wanted to be put down yet and made it evident by her frown.

"Can I go with you too?" Belle asked changing her tone to a happy one.

"If your mother says you can," Cadey replied leaving the ball in Miriallia's court.

"Mommy, mommy, can I please?" Belle ran over to her as she jumped up and down and begged.

Miriallia shook the cobwebs out of her head and plastered a false smile on her face. "Of course, just don't get in her way though, okay?" Miriallia said giving her daughter permission to follow.

"I won't I promise," Belle squeaked as she headed off to follow the two girls up the stairs.

When Dearka was sure they were out of earshot, he looked back at her. "Sorry about that, I know it had to hurt a little," he answered her look.

Miriallia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she let it out, her eyes reopened and a real smile filled her features as she shook her head gently from side-to-side.

"No worries, I'll be okay. Besides, it's only temporary and in the end, she was probably more open to her than I was back then," Miriallia admitted.

"Well, I'm going to get back in the kitchen to start prepping dinner. It's good to see you are home Dearka and doing well," Mrs. Haw spoke up, walking over to him for a hug.

"Thank you for taking care of them while I was gone. You don't know how much it means to me, knowing they are all safe when I'm away," he said returning her hug.

As they parted, he felt Mr. Haw glaring at him again. "You have something else you want to say?" Dearka said becoming defensive.

Miriallia shot a look at her father that told him to behave. "Just for the children's sake and Miriallia's as well, I'm glad you weren't hurt," he stated roughly as turned back around to the television.

Dearka was taken off guard by his comment. "Uh, thank you," he said leaving it at that. The last thing he wanted to do was turn a positive from that man into a negative.

Miriallia jumped back to life and grabbed his hand. "Come on, I want to show you around," she said sounding as excited as their daughter had been earlier.

"Wait, before that, where's Nora?" he asked noticing she wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Napping. Come on, let's take advantage of it while we can, there's so much I want to show you," Miriallia replied.

Dearka's face dropped with some disappointment of his own. Mr. Haw had turned around again to see the exchange between his daughter and son-in-law. "Don't worry, you'll have all night to hold her. She doesn't like to sleep at night," he said with a sadistic grin knowing it would ruin anything romantic the two may plan.

"Honestly, leave the two of them alone," Mrs. Haw called from the kitchen in the distance.

Dearka smiled realizing what Mr. Haw was worried about and decided to hit him back. "I guess I can see her later then. Why don't we start the tour in our bedroom? I want to know how the bed feels," Dearka replied now pulling at Miriallia.

Miriallia laughed when she saw her father sink into the couch, grumbling under his breath. "Sure, let's start with our bedroom. It sounds like the most fun place to start," she answered playing Dearka's game and teasing her father.

Miriallia took the lead back from Dearka and walked up the stairs with him never releasing his hand. Everything about them together in the house finally felt right to her. She no longer cared that they were forced to marry the way they had been or that they were living in a house they didn't pick themselves. She was determined to take back control of their relationship from both sides of the family.

They walked down the long hallway and Dearka looked at all the doors. "This place is huge," he proclaimed.

"Yeah, I think it's almost as big as your home on Februarius 1," Miriallia stated as she stopped and opened the door to their new bedroom.

"Huh?" Dearka asked confused with his brow furrowed. To his knowledge she hadn't ever seen his home.

Miriallia opened the door they had stopped in front of and stepped in. The dark drapes allowed next to no light into the room. As Miriallia hit the switch on the wall, his eyes widened. "When did you?" he began to ask.

"Last week, after I spoke with you. I hope you're not mad at me," she said pulling him through the door.

"But how did you ever get them to let go?" he asked seeing things around the room that had once decorated his own bedroom.

"I have my ways," she said with a seductive smile. As he walked around he saw most of his furniture lining the room. Although there were plenty of new items, Miriallia had made sure to match the design exactly.

She closed the door, hit the lock and watched as he moved around the room. It wasn't like he had a run of the mill bedroom set. He came from an abundance of wealth and even if Miriallia didn't want to admit it, his mother had good taste and spared no expense even in her teenage sons' room.

"You do like it, don't you? I mean, it's not something you never wanted to see again, right?" she asked now feeling uncomfortable.

"Well yeah, oddly enough I picked out this stuff myself," he replied remembering when he was younger.

"You did?" Miriallia asked surprised. She had just been thinking it was his mothers' design and was shocked that he actually chose it.

"Well, I only had so many options, but I always liked this stuff," he answered jumping on the bed.

Miriallia moved closer when she saw his face. "Yes, I did replace the mattress. I hope you're not angry about that either," she answered the look.

"No, not angry at all. In fact, it had seen better days," he replied with a smirk.

Miriallia put her hands on her hips and huffed at him. She knew exactly what he was insinuating and in the end it was exactly the reason she bought a new mattress. She didn't want any other woman to have been in their bed.

"I also got rid of the sheets," she said as she walked over still annoyed.

"I don't doubt it. Come here already," he said laughing softly at her jealousy.

She moved closer to him until she was standing in front of him. He looked up at her beautiful features and noticed she was no longer smiling. "Hey baby, what's the matter?" he asked with concern.

"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am," she replied with sadness in her voice.

He looked at her, his brow now furrowed again. He tried to make sense of her change in emotion. "What are you sorry for?" he asked not sure what it was about.

"The requiem and those six PLANT colonies that were destroyed. I didn't want to say anything over the phone when Kelley told me you were still coming. You seemed so upset and sad a couple of days ago that I didn't want to add to anything you were feeling. I just… I just wanted you to know how sorry I was too and how happy I am that you and Yzak are all right," she replied with tears now streaming down her cheeks.

She knew his ship was in part of the battle. They had televised it all over PLANT and all she could do was watch knowing her husband was out there fighting to protect them all.

"You really are a sweetheart, aren't you?" he asked reaching up to wipe away her tears. He pulled her down next to him on the bed and held her close.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You weren't the one who pulled the trigger. If I've learned anything from being with you, it's that just because you happen to be a Natural, it doesn't mean you are the same as the ones doing these heinous acts. And I've also known, ever since you stopped that girl from shooting me, that's the same way you felt about me," he answered feeling her nestle herself into his chest and embrace.

"Still, it feels like it did back then and I just don't want to lose anyone else," she said with her face buried.

Dearka's eyes softened at her kindness. He had never known anyone else so caring and concerned for others. She was indeed a rare find and he had no intention of letting her slip from his grasp.

"I know this may sound selfish, but maybe we should leave the tragedy outside the door and focus on us. I think, all things considered, we've earned that much. Besides with things as heated up as they are, I may be back on that shuttle in a matter of hours and I want to enjoy every moment with you," he said trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded her head in agreement as she looked up to meet his gaze. He tenderly moved in for a kiss and felt her hands run up his chest. As they fell back on the bed, she felt him cringe under her.

"What happened? Did I hurt you?" she asked now slightly panicked and moving out of his embrace.

"No, no," he replied sitting up himself and feeling the pain ravaging his body again. Whenever he sat still, he was fine and even on their walk upstairs he hadn't noticed much pain, but the minute any added weight was on his body, he felt his muscles and flesh burning.

"Then what's wrong?" she asked twisting her head in bewilderment.

"So, it's a funny story actually," he said half giggling.

She raised an eyebrow at him, knowing what his giggling actually meant. He was embarrassed about something. "So, what did you do?" Miriallia asked with the hint of blame in her voice.

"Why do you assume everything is my fault?" he asked defensively.

"Because it usually is," she replied nonchalantly.

"Fine, I told Cadey about me and Kelley and she was, at the time, in Scarlet's stall," he began.

"Scarlet?" Miriallia asked with more annoyance that he was so friendly with Cadey's pet.

"You know, no matter how angry you get, it isn't going to change the fact that Cadey and I actually had a relationship at one point," he snipped at her as the pain worsened a little.

"Alright, what happened then?" she questioned in order to change the subject, not wanting to be reminded of the girl in the other wing of the house.

"Well, I told her, she got upset and startled the horse. You know how protective I can be, so I grabbed her as quickly as I could and threw her toward the stall door. Unfortunately, I didn't get out as quickly and Scarlet knocked me over. I took a pretty bad hit. So Cadey called the family doctor to check me out and I was given some medicine for the pain, but I haven't taken any yet," he admitted.

"Why wouldn't you take the medication?" she asked in frustration.

"Because I'm sure it's a muscle relaxant and that's the last thing I would want to take with just Cadey around," Dearka stated.

"Touché," Miriallia replied.

"So, maybe we can get the medicine from my bags downstairs and try this rendezvous again?" he asked with the most handsome grin on his face.

"I can call down," she replied standing up and walking to their bedside.

"Call down, huh? You're getting awfully comfortable having people attend to your every need," he said laughing at her.

"Well, why not? In the end, my mother and I still do a lot around the house and I'm always busy with Annabella and Nora. So why not take advantage of having this staff your father hired? It's why they're here, right; so he looks like the good guy when our marriage quote, unquote falls apart?" Miriallia questioned.

"I guess you're right. Too bad he's got another thing coming when it comes to us falling apart," he said with a smile.

The phone clicked on the other end as a staff member answered the call. "Can you have Lt Elsman's bags brought up to the bedroom please?" Miriallia ordered politely.

"Yes ma'am, right away," the young woman answered.

"Thank you," Miriallia replied before hanging up the phone.

Miriallia looked over at Dearka. "What?" she asked noticing him staring at her.

"You have no idea what I want to do with you right now," he responded. She had been unknowingly biting her bottom lip in thought while she was waiting for someone from the staff to answer the phone. And the way she was leaning on the bedside table made her look so sexy that he was having trouble focusing.

"Somehow, I'm sure I know what you are planning in that dirty mind of yours," she answered as they waited for the bags.

"Not to kill the mood, but I almost forgot to ask before. Are you okay to do this?" he asked curiously.

"Maybe that's something I should be asking you," she answered back.

Dearka smiled at her. "As soon as I take the medication, I can guarantee that it's more than okay," he insinuated for some of the effects of the drug.

She laughed at his comment and went into the bathroom to get a glass of water ready. He sat patiently waiting for her answer and the bags. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't want me to…"

She exited the bathroom and handed him the water glass placing her finger up to his mouth in order to shush him. "You don't have to do anything. I'm okay and I have everything under control," she told him.

The sound of a knock at the door pulled her away from him. She answered it and allowed their family's butler to bring the bags in. "Will there be anything else, Mrs. Elsman?" he asked politely.

"No thank you Marcus, we'll be all right," Miriallia responded.

"As you wish," he replied with a bow.

When the door closed again, Dearka tilted his head at her. "Don't worry, the more you're here, the more you'll get to know them," Miriallia stated.

"That's not why I'm looking at you like this," Dearka countered.

Miriallia twisted her head in his direction and blinked perplexed. Without answering his concern, she bent down and began going through his bags for the prescription.

"It's in the front pocket and I'm waiting for an answer," he declared.

"I… was able to see someone," she said.

"I'm listening," he replied.

"It's nothing bad, I just wanted to take a break from having children so my mother had my OB/GYN fly here. There aren't many options in PLANT because of the child bearing issue, so I had to call in a favor from my homeland," she said matter-of-factly.

When she found the bottle, she brought it over to her husband. She opened it and gave him the pill. After he swallowed it, she took the water glass and placed it on the nightstand.

"Did you ever think that maybe it was something we should have discussed and decided on together?" he asked in annoyance.

"No because in the end, it's my decision," she snipped.

"I'm not saying this for the reasons you think I am. I'm not against being protected, especially with our history. But I am against you taking any medications without knowing all the side effects due to what the EAF did to you. Not to mention, what if one of the side effects is that it doesn't even work on you anymore because of the drugs that were forced into your body?" Dearka asked concerned.

"I understand what you're saying, but sometimes I don't think you give me enough credit. Everything was done under the supervision of the doctor still treating me here and I've been tested to make sure the birth control is doing its' job. I've pretty much been on it since I got here. I made sure to get things moving right away so I'd be ready when this day finally arrived. I'm am officially 99.9% safe," she teased with the accuracy.

"And you said, you want to take a break, huh?" he asked now reading into her other comment.

"I…" she paused.

"Don't worry Mir, if you want more kids in the future, then I do too," he replied.

"Are you sure?" she asked. It was the first time they really discussed anything they wanted from life other than when they were on Orb discussing their possible living arrangements before the agreement happened.

"I'm sure I want everything you want," he said smiling and grabbing her hand.

"And if I said I want ten more, that wouldn't worry you?" she asked teasing him.

"Then ten you'll have. Although, I'm pretty sure that isn't anywhere near the number you want, so I'm not really that worried," he joked.

She couldn't help but laugh with him. "So how many do you think you do want?" he asked now being more serious.

"I don't know if I'll want anymore at all, but I didn't want to take away our option if in the end we decided we both wanted more. All I know is that I want to be with you all the time and without anything between us. I don't want to be watching calendars or playing the 'is it safe' game. I just want to be free to be with you whenever and wherever we want to be," she answered.

"Just remember there's always that .1% chance," he said knowingly.

"And if it's meant to be, even with every precaution, it's meant to be," she replied leaning down for a kiss.

"I just want to be absolutely sure, if anything happened you wouldn't be upset over more children," he said in between kisses.

She pulled away realizing why he was so curious. "You really do want more, don't you?" she asked.

"I agree with you that now isn't the time. I mean Nora's only two months old and although we have two children, we're still young. But I guess, in a few years, I wouldn't mind another one," he admitted.

"Well look at you, you are more of a family man than even I had pegged you for," she said smiling.

"I don't know. I've never felt this way before, but having you and the girls in my life really does make me finally feel complete," he said gently.

"No, I think it's more than that," Miriallia replied tapping him playfully.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"I think, what you really want is to not be so completely outnumbered by your three girls," she said getting to the heart of the matter.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said with a smirk and pulling her in to him.

"I guess though, if you really want us to have a baby boy someday, we should make sure we keep practicing until we're both ready again," she said seductively.

"Mrs. Elsman, you're trying to seduce me," Dearka teased as he dragged her down to the bed and began to kiss the woman he'd been away from for far longer than he would have preferred.

**Author's Preview:** No preview this time guys, sorry – not sure which path I'm taking at my proverbial fork in the road. :) Please read and review for me so I can continue on my happy way.


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